She participated in telenovelas such as Um Lugar ao Sol (1959), an adaptation of Theodore Dreiser's novel by Dionísio Azevedo, and Ídolo de Pano (1975) by Teixeira Filho.

Back in the Globo TV, Cardoso appeared in three Walther Negrão's telenovelas: Pão-Pão, Beijo-Beijo (1983), Livre para Voar (1984) e Fera Radical (1988).

In 1995, Cardoso appeared in Irmãos Coragem and Gloria Perez's Explode Coração, the first telenovela filmed in Projac (today Estúdios Globo).

In 2005, she appeared in the mini-series Hoje É Dia de Maria, Cardoso also participated in the cast of O Profeta (2006), and in Aguinaldo Silva's Duas Caras (2007).

In 2012, she starred in the role of Dorotéia, in the remake of Gabriela, an adaptation of Jorge Amado's novel, written by Walcyr Carrasco.