The Most Tragic Child Star In The History Of Hollywood And Her Heartbreaking Final Movie Moment
At 10 years old, Judith Barsi was outwardly living the dream of many children who aspire to Hollywood stardom. After several years of notable appearances on popular television sitcoms like Cheers and Growing Pains, Barsi’s talents allowed her to make the leap into films beginning with the 1987 movie Jaws: The Revenge. But behind her acting facade was her real life as a victim of brutal physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her father, who would eventually take her life.
Judith Barsi had just finished production of The Land Before Time, an animated adventure following young dinosaurs along their journey to safety after an attack by a T-Rex. The little actress had also been working on All Dogs Go to Heaven, another animated feature film that showed her talents as a voice actor were just as sharp as her presence on screen. But she wouldn’t live long enough to see either of those films debut.
“Love Survives” – the song played in the closing credits of the 1989 animated film All Dogs Go to Heaven – was dedicated to Judith Barsi’s memory.
The life of Judith Barsi was cut tragically and violently short on July 25, 1988. On that day, the young actress’s father, Jozsef, shot and killed the girl while she slept. Jozsef then used the weapon to kill Barsi’s mother, Maria, before going into the home’s garage and turning the gun on himself.
Jozsef had a long history of alcoholism. Judith Barsi’s father was arrested three different times for drinking and driving in Los Angeles in the years leading up to the murder-suicide. The addiction may have served as a mechanism behind the horrific physical abuse he subjected his wife to, as well as the emotional abuse that he inflicted on his daughter.
In 2004, an online fundraiser produced enough money from fans to erect a headstone for Judith Barsi and her mother Maria.
On multiple occasions, Judith Barsi’s mother told friends and neighbors that Jozsef threatened to kill her and her daughter. At one point, Jozsef held a knife to Maria’s throat. Another time, he threw a pot at his daughter, hitting her in the face and making her nose bleed.
When Judith Barsi broke down in tears in front of her agent in May 1988, the professional made a call to social and family services. But the case was dropped when Maria told officials that she was beginning divorce proceedings against Jozsef and would quickly be leaving the home. In the end she changed her mind, staying with her abuser until he murdered her and their daughter.
The final film that Judith Barsi appeared in was for her voice work in the 1989 film All Dogs Go to Heaven, released posthumously.
The final film that Judith Barsi appeared in was for her voice work in the 1989 film All Dogs Go to Heaven, released posthumously. In the animated film’s closing credits, the song “Love Survives” was dedicated to her memory. Interviews with the director of the film, Don Bluth, revealed just how much of a joy that Barsi was to work with in the industry, and how he had planned on using her skills in upcoming productions.
Judith Barsi and her mother were buried at the Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills Cemetery but were interred without headstones as there was no surviving family to make any formal arrangements. Years later in 2004, an online fundraiser produced enough money from fans to erect a headstone for them. Barsi’s The Land Before Time dinosaur character Ducky’s catchphrase “Yep, yep, yep” is etched on the stone, marking a lasting tribute to the young actress in what was one of her defining roles.
Sources: The Crime Wire
