Duke was born at Vancouver, British Columbia, where he became one of CBC Television's earliest regional producers.

His career continued with CBC in Toronto producing such series as This Hour Has Seven Days, then in the United States for major television networks and studios there.

In 1977, he won the Canadian Film Award for best Director for his surprise hit The Silent Partner.

His significant achievement in television was directing the Emmy Award winning miniseries The Thorn Birds.

Noteworthy is that he produced and directed early Bob Dylan "song films," black and white vignettes that were the forerunners of today's music videos.