The tragic story of the child star Judith Barsi
It is well-known that Hollywood child stars often have troubled upbringings, from Shirley Temple and Judy Garland to Drew Barrymore and Jennette McCurdy. Many young actors find themselves taken advantage of, abused or rigidly controlled, often leading to issues with substance abuse and severe mental health problems.
Hollywood is not a safe place for children, although that doesn’t stop some parents from doing whatever they can to ensure that their child becomes a star. For Judith Barsi, who was just five when she started her career, her troubles stemmed from her difficult home life, where she experienced physical and verbal abuse at the hands of her father, József Barsi.
Barsi began her acting career at a very young age, displaying a natural talent that quickly garnered attention in the entertainment industry. She started with television commercials before landing roles in television shows and films. One of her early notable appearances was on the television series The Twilight Zone in 1985. She portrayed the character Marie in the episode titled ‘Need to Know’, fully exhibiting her natural talent.
From there, it didn’t take the young Barsi (born in 1978) long to become a child star, securing her first job in 1984 as a character in Fatal Vision. From there, she landed roles in television shows, movies and advertisements, demonstrating promising acting talent from the get-go. Because of her success, the actor was making more money than her parents each year, which they often used to pay for things such as a new house.
Who was Judith Barsi?
Barsi appeared in episodes of popular shows like The Twilight Zone, Cagney & Lacey, Cheers and Punky Brewster, as well as movies such as Eye of the Tiger and Jaws: The Revenge. However, she is perhaps most well-known for her voice roles, lending herself to two Don Bluth productions, The Land Before Time and All Dogs Go To Heaven, the latter of which was released after her death.
Despite Barsi acting as a financial provider for her family, the actor’s father – an alcoholic – began to abuse his daughter and wife, Maria, as Barsi’s career took off. Although it appeared as though Barsi was set for bigger things, behind the scenes, she and her mother were facing constant death threats and violence from József. Barsi had pans thrown at her head and was threatened with a knife to her throat. Maria refused to press charges against her husband, instead claiming she was going to move away with her daughter and divorce József.
However, her plans were too little too late – by this point, Barsi had developed trichotillomania and severe mental health struggles. According to a friend of the family (via the LA Times), Barsi would say things such as, “I’m afraid to go home. My daddy is miserable. My daddy is drunk every day, and I know he wants to kill my mother.” Despite people urging Maria to take refuge from her husband, she continuously delayed her plans, most likely out of the fear of József finding out – a common occurrence in situations of domestic violence and abuse.
In the same LA Times piece, Joseph Waldon, Maria’s brother, revealed that despite József apparently quitting drinking, “Maria wouldn’t make up, so he was moping around.” The situation ended with a devastating tragedy – Judith, Maria and József were all found dead in their home. The abuse culminated in József committing an act of murder-suicide, taking his wife and daughter down with him.
How did Judith Barsi die?
On July 27th, 1988, ten-year-old Barsi’s body was found in her bed – she and her mother had both died of gunshot wounds. József’s body was found in the garage, where he had shot himself with the same weapon. The exact date of Barsi’s death is assumed to be July 25th. Her tragic passing is made even more chilling by the fact that her first role in Fatal Vision saw her play a child murdered by her father.
Barsi was destined for a bright future, yet she was unfortunately dealt a much crueller fate at the hands of the troubled József. The young star is now remembered for her fantastic voice roles and extensive advertisement and television work. She is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, which immortalises her as “Our Concrete Angel.”
