Débora Susan Sanches Duke was born on January 2, 1950, in São Paulo. Daughter of actress Marisa Sanches and a musician, her mother married Lima Duarte when her daughter was only one year old. Lima adopted her as a foster father and she adopted her father's stage name.

She made her debut when she was five years old, around 1955, when she was cast by Vida Alves to act in a series on Tupi. Her talent for the performing arts was evident since childhood. In the following decade, she acted in several soap operas and teletheaters, including appearances on Tupi, Excelsior and Bandeirantes. Her first major role came in 1968, as Lu in Beto Rockfeller. This role earned her a Troféu Imprensa and a Troféu Roquette Pinto for best actress.

She made her debut on Globo in 1972, starring in the soap operas Bicho do Mato and A Patota. In 1975, she stood out when she played Vilminha in Pecado Capital. In 1977, she made a brief comeback on Tupi, playing Carola in O Profeta. In the following years, she appeared in productions such as Coração Alado (1980), Jogo da Vida (1981), Anarquistas, Graças a Deus, Sonho Meu (1993), Pátria Minha (1994), Explode Coração (1995) and Terra Nostra (1999).

From the 2000s onwards, she acted in Porto dos Milagres (2001), Como uma Onda (2004), Paraíso Tropical (2007), Cordel Encantado (2011), Side by Side (2012) and Ambitious Woman (2015). She also played the villain Teresa in SBT's Canavial de Paixões in 2003. She was also part of the cast of the Netflix series Lady Voyeur. She won the APCA Trophy for Best Actress in 1984 for her work in Corpo a Corpo, Anarquistas, Graças a Deus and Padre Cícero. She has two actress daughters: Daniela Duarte, born in 1975, from her marriage to Gracindo Jr.; and Paloma Duarte, born in 1977, from her relationship with singer Antônio Marcos.