In 1975 Lawrance studied and graduated in 1977 from NIDA alongside such alumni as Mel Gibson, Steve Bisley, Judy Davis, Sally McKenzie and Robert Menzies.
[6][7] Lawrance's big break was a lead role in The Fast Lane, a widely successful ABC comedy.
[8][9] Her success led to her appearance in the film Evil Angels (released as A Cry in the Dark outside of Australia and New Zealand) starring Meryl Streep.
Lawrance subsequently starred in Blue Heelers in the recurring role as Reverend Grace Curtis, Tom Croydon's ill-fated wife from 2001 to 2004.
[11][14][15] From 2013 to 2016, Lawrance played Rose, the mother of the protagonist Josh Thomas, in the comedy drama Please Like Me appearing in all four seasons of the show, during which her character dealt with divorce and mental illness.
[20] In 2018, Lawrance read Charlotte Voake's Ginger on Play School Story Time on ABC Kids.
[22] In early 2023, it was revealed Lawrance had joined the cast of a new crime drama on the Nine Network called Human Error.