Paul Beadle was born in Berkshire, England. He studied at Cambridge Art School prior to enrolling at the London Central School of Arts and Crafts.He also studied privately under sculptor Alfred Southwick and in Copenhagen with Kurt Harald Eisenstein. During World War II Beadle served in the Pacific with the Royal Navy. At the end of the war he remained in Australia.

In 1960 he moved to Auckland to become Professor of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland. From 1961 to 1975 he was Dean of Elam School of Art. In 1962 Beadle was elected as foundation president of the New Zealand Society of Sculptors and Associates in Auckland. He was also a Fellow of the Royal South Australian Society of Arts and the President of the New Zealand Society of Industrial Designers. His artistic style had changed dramatically after his arrival in Auckland. He accepted a commission to create a chess set which became a catalyst for him to create technically complex sculptures on a smaller scale. These works often reflected his sense of humour, he was a keen observer of human nature. In an interview with Gil Docking he said: I see man as a rather funny little fellow - it is me too - and I accept, if not understand, most of his faults. Much of the vitality and anecdotal nature of Beadle's work came from personal observtions of the world

Professor Beadle's work is included in the collections of the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, the Australian National Gallery and other Australian state galleries.