David Durand, 77; Child Actor in 1920s, ‘30s

David Durand, 77, child actor in motion pictures of the 1920s and 1930s. Born David Parker Grey, he began his short career at age 5 with roles in a couple of “Our Gang” comedies of the mid-1920s. Most notably, Durand was among the child thespians who performed in a dramatic interpretation of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s classic novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” released by Pathe Studios in 1926. As a 9-year-old, Durand sang with French star Maurice Chevalier in the 1929 “Innocents of Paris.” His career ended with the film “Naval Academy” in 1941. He served in the Army during World War II. On Saturday in Bridgeview, Ill.

Talmage “Tal” Holt Farlow; Jazz Guitarist

Talmage “Tal” Holt Farlow, 77, jazz guitarist recently inducted into the American Jazz Hall of Fame. A Tal Farlow signature model Gibson guitar was issued in 1962, and an updated version with Farlow’s input came out in 1994. Born in Greensboro, N.C., Farlow worked as a sign painter when music failed to support him. In 1949, he played with Red Norvo’s trio, and in the 1950s gained fame as a player in Artie Shaw’s Gramercy Five. Farlow later led his own band and recorded albums for Blue Note and Verve Records. Despite an announced retirement, he joined bass player Gary Mazzaroppi to perform for 23 years in small clubs along the New Jersey shore. Farlow returned to recording and touring in the mid-1970s, working with Fantasy Records and Concord Records. On Saturday in New York City of esophageal cancer.

Joseph R. Hopkins, 67; TV, Stage Writer

Joseph R. Hopkins, 67, British writer who earned the Humanitas Award for his cable television program “Hiroshima.” The Showtime teleplay also earned Hopkins the 1996 PEN Center West literary award. Born in London, Hopkins spent most of his career in England. He studied at Cambridge and then joined the BBC, where he wrote more than 100 original teleplays and adaptations including “Smiley’s People” starring Alec Guinness. Among Hopkins’ other awards were an American Emmy in 1968 for his contributions to “Masterpiece Theater”; the British Director’s Guild Award for his four-part teleplay “Talking to a Stranger” and the British Screenwriter’s Guild award for the BBC police drama “Z Cars.” Also a playwright, Hopkins was known for such plays as “Losing Time,” “Absent Forever” and a trilogy called “The Mary Plays.” He adapted his play “This Story of Yours,” performed in Los Angeles’ Victory Theater in 1985, into a screenplay for the British film “The Offence,” starring Sean Connery as the London detective protagonist. Hopkins often wrote with his actress wife, Shirley Knight, particularly for the American theater. He had been based in Southern California for the past five years. On Thursday in Woodland Hills.

Dr. Gilbert James Sales; NASA Flight Surgeon

Dr. Gilbert James Sales, 63, flight surgeon to the Apollo astronauts. A native of Santa Fe, N.M., Sales grew up in Los Angeles, where he was a lifeguard. He attended USC, interned at County-USC Medical Center and worked at Los Angeles County Receiving Hospital before becoming a Navy doctor. With the Navy, he served in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Keplavik, Iceland. Sales spent many years with NASA, based at Mission Control in Houston. Following Apollo flights, he was quarantined with the returning astronauts and treated them during recovery. Sales later worked as flight surgeon for the Federal Aviation Administration in Kansas City, Mo., and as an aviation medical examiner in Grand Rapids, Mich. On Saturday in Grand Rapids.