Born into a family of artists, Duval studied as an actor and dancer, and also sang with his sister, Maria.
By the 1960s, Duval was composing music, both orchestral and pop, and his first soundtrack, for an episode of the German serial Tatort, was broadcast in 1977.
The song "Todesengel" from his 1979 debut album, Die schönsten Melodien aus Derrick und Der Alte, became a moderate hit, and was a number one in Switzerland in 1979.
During the 1980s, Duval released several soundtracks, as well as solo albums, with lyrics occasionally co-written with his wife Kalina Maloyer.
Duval wrote songs for Ivan Rebroff, Alexandra, Karin Huebner, Margot Werner, Klaus Löwitsch, and Maria Schell.