 She is the niece of legendary singer songwriter, guitarist Brian Marnell, known for his innovative Rock New Wave sound with San Francisco, Bay Area SVT (band) with Jack Casady and his collaboration with Jim Carroll, "The Basketball Diaries".Deborah's training first started at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts and went on to audition and successfully achieve a lifetime membership at The Actors Studio.There, she met and studied under acting coach Joanne Linville, a protègè of Stella Adler and one of the founding teachers at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting.