Born in London to Georgian mother Nino Kvinitadze (born 1920), a daughter of Giorgi Kvinitadze, and Anglo-Dutch father Peter Claude Holland d'Abo (1917–1995), d'Abo was raised in Paris and Geneva.

D'Abo is the cousin of Mike d'Abo, a singer and member of 1960s group Manfred Mann. This makes her first cousin once removed of Actress Olivia d'Abo. Maryam and Olivia once lived together in Los Angeles, buying a house together in 1988, after Olivia turned 19.

D'Abo made her screen debut in the low-budget science fiction horror film Xtro (1982), playing Analise Mercier, a French au pair, who becomes a human incubator for an alien. She appeared in the film Until September (1984), and had small roles in Master of the Game (1984), White Nights (1985) and Arthur the King (1985).

D'Abo had a starring role in The Living Daylights (1987) as Kara Milovy, the sweet and vulnerable Czechoslovakian Cellist and sniper who falls for James Bond. As a tie-in with the film, she also appeared in a Bond-themed Playboy cover and multi-page pictorial in the September 1987 issue, but later said "I wouldn't do those pictures now... I've learned a lot since then" in an interview with People.

On television, D'Abo played Ta'Ra, an alien medical officer in the science fiction miniseries Something Is Out There (1988), which was followed by a six-episode NBC mini-series of the same name, and played Anne Summerton in the TV adaptation of Jeffrey Archer's novel Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less (1990).

D'Abo has had roles in various low-budget, straight-to-video action, horror and fantasy films such as Tomcat: Dangerous Desires (1992), as well as guest roles on television shows Tales From the Crypt (1993), Red Shoe Diaries (1992) and Murder, She Wrote (1992).

She reunited with her James Bond Director John Glen for a guest-starring role on the television series Space Precinct and for the feature film The Point Men (2001). Glen later claimed that the reason he cast her in three different projects was because she was one of his favourite actresses. She played the mother of Lara (played by Keira Knightley) in the television miniseries version of Doctor Zhivago (2002), and she was Queen Hecuba in the Emmy-nominated miniseries Helen of Troy (2003). She had a small role in the French film L'Enfer (Hell, 2005), whose stars included fellow Bond Girl Carole Bouquet.

D'Abo and John Cork wrote the book Bond Girls Are Forever, published in 2002, which is a tribute to the women who have played the role of a Bond Girl. The book formed the basis for a documentary, featuring d'Abo and other Bond girls, including Ursula Andress. The documentary appeared on the American AMC network in 2002, timed to coincide with the theatrical release of Die Another Day. It was later included as a gift with the purchase of Die Another Day on DVD by some Retailers. In 2006, a new version of the documentary, updated to include interviews with cast from Casino Royale (2006) was again aired on the AMC network and later released as a bonus feature on the March 2007 Blu-ray Disc and DVD release of Casino Royale.

In November 2003, d'Abo married Hugh Hudson, the Oscar-nominated British Director of Chariots of Fire (1981).

In 2007, d'Abo had surgery for a brain haemorrhage from which she recovered.

In 2009, d'Abo had a supporting role in British period fantasy-thriller Dorian Gray. She appeared in the 2014 Indian film Tigers.

Maryam d'Abo is signed to Models 1. In 2015, she modeled for fashion retailer JD Williams' AW 15 collection that includes clothing for women in their 50s.