Debra Lawrance was born in Melbourne, Victoria and was the second youngest of six children. In 1974 Lawrance studied at the NIDA along with Mel Gibson, Steve Bisley, Judy Davis and Robert Menzies.

After graduating in 1977, Lawrance appeared in a number of roles including Prue Waterman in The Sullivans (1976), Sheila Turner in Skyways, Kerry Burgess in A Country Practice (1982), Lisa in Bellamy (1981) and Lisa Cook in Sons and Daughters between 1983 and 1984.

In July 1990 Lawrance joined the cast of Home and Away, taking over the role of Pippa Fletcher (later Ross) from Vanessa Downing. Lawrance left the main cast in 1998, but made guest appearances over the next few years. She last appeared on the show in 2009.

Lawrance met her husband Dennis Coard when he was cast as Pippa’s second husband on Home and Away as Michael Ross. They married in 1992 and have two children. Daughter Grace (born 1992) and son William (born 1999).

Debra’s theatre credits include the London tour of Jack Davis’ No Sugar, the role of Vi in the Melbourne Theatre Company production of The Memory of Water, and most recently the 2009 tour of Steel Magnolias in the role of M’lyn; and the title role in the 2010 tour of Driving Miss Daisy.

From 2013 to 2016, Lawrance played Rose, the mother of the title character portrayed by Josh Thomas, in the comedy drama Please Like Me. She appeared in a main role in all four seasons of the show, which saw her character deal with divorce and mental illness. Lawrance’s performance was met with critical acclaim, winning her an AACTA Award for Best Performance in a Television Comedy for her part in a two-hander episode (with Thomas) in the show’s second season.

In 2017, Lawrance appeared as a celebrity contestant and eventual winner on Hell’s Kitchen Australia, which is based on the British series of the same name.

In 2018, Lawrance read Charlotte Voake’s Ginger on ABC2’s Story Time. She also joined the cast of Neighbours as Liz Conway.