Deborah Ann Conway was born on 8 August 1959 in Melbourne, Victoria. Her father was a lawyer in Toorak and Conway attended Lauriston Girls' School – photos of her as a schoolgirl were displayed at the Sydney Jewish Museum. Later she went to University of Melbourne – modelling and singing her way through. A billboard campaign for Bluegrass jeans featured Conway's nude backside and the phrase "Get yours into Bluegrass". Other ads with Conway as a model include, Big M and Crunchie.