Born in Bethnal Green, London in 1837, Playford moved to Adelaide in 1844 with his parents the Rev. Thomas Playford and his wife Mary Anne Playford, née Perry, two brothers and a sister. He worked as a farmer prior to entering politics.
Elected to the Parliament of South Australia at the 1868 election as the Member for Onkaparinga, he gained the sobriquet "Honest Tom" for his forthright and straightforward manner, although these same qualities would earn him the occasional disapproval of fellow politicians and the electorate, and caused his defeat at the 1871 election. Playford returned to Parliament at the 1875 election as member for East Torrens and held the position of Reforming Commissioner for Crown Lands and Immigration before losing his seat yet again at the 1887 election. A month later however, he won the seat of Newcastle. By mid-1887 he became Premier and Treasurer, positions he would hold for two years until a vote of no confidence passed. During his premiership, his most important achievement was considered to be the implementation of the first systematic tariff system for South Australia.
He regained East Torrens at the 1890 election and a few months later he formed his second government, again becoming Premier and Treasurer, and would again last for two years. He received kudos for significantly reducing the colony's debt, although he spent much of this second term in India. Charles Kingston brought together the various 'liberal' groups and was able to defeat the conservative John Downer government at the 1893 election with Labor support. The Kingston government would last for a then-record six years. Kingston had appointed Playford as Treasurer in his government, however in 1894 Playford moved to London to act as Agent-General for South Australia before returning to South Australia in 1898 to serve in Kingston's government from the 1899 election as member for Gumeracha, until he crossed the floor in later that year over a potential erosion of the power of the Legislative Council, bringing down the Kingston government in the process. He also found the time to involve himself in the planning of the Federation of the Australian Commonwealth and drafting the Australian Constitution. As part of this, he proposed the title "Commonwealth of Australia".
Playford married Mary Jane Kinsman on 16 December 1860. The couple had eleven children: five sons, five daughters and one adoptive daughter. His eldest daughter Annie married the Rev. John Henry Sexton on 30 June 1886. On 1 January 1889 his second daughter Eliza married Harry J. Tuck, elder brother of painter Marie Tuck and later headmaster at Unley High School. Playford's grandson, Sir Thomas Playford, also served as Premier of South Australia.
