Gilbert B. Cross was born in Worsley, England in 1939, near the city of Manchester. Cross earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Manchester in 1961 as well as a post-graduate certificate of education from the University of London in 1962. Cross originally considered a career in educational television, but decided that becoming a professor in English would allow more time for writing projects. Cross emigrated to the United States in 1963, earning a Master's in Arts from the University of Louisville in 1965. Cross began teaching English at Eastern Michigan University in 1966, becoming a full professor after earning his doctorate at the University of Michigan in 1971. For his entire career, Cross lived in Ann Arbor with his wife, Margaret, while raising two children. His most notable achievement would be co-directing the Adelphi Calendar with fellow professor Alfred Nelson, starting in 1972. The Adelphi Calendar grew from a broader project directed by the University of Massachusetts known as "The London Stage 1800-1900: A Documentary Record and Calendar of Performances", which strove to chronicle 19th Century performances at various London theatres. The Adelphi Calendar was designed to be a computer database of every performance at the Adelphi Theatre in London from 1806 to 1900 without a single detail lost. Research and construction of the project continued until 1993, a year after Nelson's death. The Adelphi Calendar was also published in print and microfiche formats. Cross also wrote several mystery and fantasy novels and engaged in several academic projects. As a teacher, Cross taught folklore, children's literature, and creative writing.

Gilbert Cross retired from Eastern Michigan University in 2004 with emeritus status.