George Christie was born on 31 December 1934 in Lewes, Sussex, England, UK. He was married to Mary Nicholson. He died on 7 May 2014 in Lewes, East Sussex, England, UK.
He was awarded Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Honours List before being awarded Companion of Honour in the 2002 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to Glyndebourne Productions. He was Chairman of the Glyndebourne Productions Ltd. from 1959 until 1999.