Rebecca Huntley was born in Oxford, England, to Australian parents James Crawford and Marisa Crawford nee Ballini. She returned to Australia with her family in 1975 and graduated from Sydney Girls High School in 1984. Huntley studied law and film at the University of New South Wales. She later gained a PhD from the University of Sydney.
Huntley is primarily known as a researcher on social trends, who has worked for such research firms as Ipsos, where she ran Australia's longest-running social trends report. She has also worked as adjunct senior lecturer at the School of Social Sciences at The University of New South Wales, and sat on the boards of both the Bell Shakespeare Company and The Whitlam Institute.
Huntley has written a number of books that explore her Italian heritage and close relationship with her grandmother, including memoir The Italian Girl and picture book Nonna's Gnocchi.
