Lisa Welch was born on November 11, 1960 in Aberdeen, Maryland. Welch was an Army brat who moved from place to place throughout her childhood before her family eventually settled in San Francisco, California. She graduated early from high school and studied fashion retailing at the University of Marin. Lisa was the Playmate of the Month in the September, 1980 issue of "Playboy". Following her stint as a Playmate, Welch embarked on a brief acting career: she had a small part as a vestal virgin in History of the World: Part I (1981), portrayed stuck-up sorority girl "Suzy" in the hit comedy, Revenge of the Nerds (1984), made a guest appearance on the Matt Houston (1982) episode, The Centerfold Murders (1983), and had another minor part in the straight-to-video erotic thriller, Night Fire (1994).