Eric Irvin was born in 1908 in Sydney. He worked as a freelance journalist after he left school, and served in the AIF between 1940 and 1945. Irvin was sub-editor for the Sydney Morning Herald from 1962-1973. He wrote books, on 19th and 20th century Australian theatre, as well as many articles and poems. Irvin's interest lay in the actors' lives, the production mechanics and architecture of the theatres. Irvin moved to Brisbane in 1989 and received a HonDLitt from the University of Queensland for services to Australian theatre in the same year.