George Maguire was drawn to the theatre at an early age, giving his stage debut aged "about nine" at Guildford Civic Hall in a production of the pantomime Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood. He trained at Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts and made his West End debut in the Sam Mendes-directed Oliver! in 1995 after winning a part in open auditions. A string of West End and off-West End productions as well as tours (both in the UK and Europe) with roles as varied as Berger in Hair and Marc Bolan in Twentieth Century Boy followed. In 2015, his portrayal of Dave Davies in the Kinks musical Sunny Afternoon earned him a Laurence Olivier Award as Best Supporting Actor in a Musical.