Judith Barsi
Encyclopedia
Judith Eva Barsi was an American child actress
. She was small in stature and often played characters younger than her actual age. After years of physical and mental abuse, Barsi and her mother were shot and killed by her father, József, in a murder–suicide.
At the age of 5, Barsi was discovered at a skating rink. She went on to appear in over 70 commercials and guest starring roles in television. She also appeared in several films including Jaws: The Revenge
, and provided the voice for the character of Ducky in The Land Before Time
(1988). As she was short for her age (she stood at age 10), Barsi began receiving hormone injections at UCLA to encourage her growth.
By the time she entered fourth grade, she was earning an estimated $100,000 a year which helped her buy the family a three-bedroom house in the West Hills section of Los Angeles
.
After the incident, József reportedly stopped drinking but continued to threaten and abuse his wife and daughter. Before leaving to shoot Jaws: The Revenge in the Bahamas, József threatened Barsi with a knife, telling her, "If you decide not to come back, I will cut your throat". Due to József's abuse, Barsi began exhibiting disturbing behavior which included plucking out all her eyelashes and pulling out her cat's whiskers. After breaking down in front of her agent, Barsi was taken to a child psychologist by Maria. The psychologist identified severe physical and emotional abuse, and reported her findings to Child Protective Services
.
The investigation was dropped after Maria assured the case worker that she intended to start divorce proceedings against József, and that she and Judith were going to move into a Panorama City apartment she had recently rented as a daytime haven away from József. Friends urged Maria to follow through with the plan, but she resisted reportedly because she did not want to lose the family home and belongings.
On August 9, 1988, Barsi and her mother were interred in unmarked graves at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park
in Los Angeles
. In June 2004, a fund was set up by Barsi's fan club to purchase headstones for their graves. Barsi's marker, placed on August 23, 2004, reads "In Memory of the Lovely Judith Eva Barsi *Our Concrete Angel* Yep! Yep! Yep!" in reference to Martina McBride's song about child abuse
, and Barsi's character Ducky's catchphrase from The Land Before Time
.
Barsi's final film, All Dogs Go to Heaven
, in which she voices the orphaned Anne-Marie, was released in 1989, a year and a half after her death.
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
. She was small in stature and often played characters younger than her actual age. After years of physical and mental abuse, Barsi and her mother were shot and killed by her father, József, in a murder–suicide.
Life and career
Barsi was the daughter of Hungarian immigrants József and Maria Barsi, who had both fled the 1956 Soviet occupation of Hungary and then immigrated to Los Angeles, California shortly before the birth of their daughter. Maria Barsi soon began grooming her daughter to become an actress.At the age of 5, Barsi was discovered at a skating rink. She went on to appear in over 70 commercials and guest starring roles in television. She also appeared in several films including Jaws: The Revenge
Jaws: The Revenge
Jaws: The Revenge, Also known as, 'Jaws 4: The Revenge', is a 1987 thriller film directed by Joseph Sargent. It is the third sequel to Steven Spielberg's Jaws and the final installment of the series....
, and provided the voice for the character of Ducky in The Land Before Time
The Land Before Time
The Land Before Time is a 1988 American animated adventure film directed and co-produced by Don Bluth , and executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy, and Frank Marshall....
(1988). As she was short for her age (she stood at age 10), Barsi began receiving hormone injections at UCLA to encourage her growth.
By the time she entered fourth grade, she was earning an estimated $100,000 a year which helped her buy the family a three-bedroom house in the West Hills section of Los Angeles
West Hills, Los Angeles, California
West Hills is an affluent community and district in the western San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States.West Hills is bordered by Chatsworth and the Chatsworth Reservoir to the north, Canoga Park to the east, Woodland Hills to the south, Hidden Hills to the southwest,...
.
Parental abuse
As Barsi's career success increased, her father József, an alcoholic and unemployed plumber, became increasingly abusive, jealous, and paranoid. He would routinely threaten to kill himself, his wife and daughter. In December 1986, Maria reported the years of threats to the police and also reported that József had hit her in the face and choked her. After police found no physical signs of abuse, Maria eventually decided not to press charges against József.After the incident, József reportedly stopped drinking but continued to threaten and abuse his wife and daughter. Before leaving to shoot Jaws: The Revenge in the Bahamas, József threatened Barsi with a knife, telling her, "If you decide not to come back, I will cut your throat". Due to József's abuse, Barsi began exhibiting disturbing behavior which included plucking out all her eyelashes and pulling out her cat's whiskers. After breaking down in front of her agent, Barsi was taken to a child psychologist by Maria. The psychologist identified severe physical and emotional abuse, and reported her findings to Child Protective Services
Child Protective Services
Child Protective Services is the name of a governmental agency in many states of the United States that responds to reports of child abuse or neglect. Some states use other names, often attempting to reflect more family-centered practices, such as "Department of Children & Family Services"...
.
The investigation was dropped after Maria assured the case worker that she intended to start divorce proceedings against József, and that she and Judith were going to move into a Panorama City apartment she had recently rented as a daytime haven away from József. Friends urged Maria to follow through with the plan, but she resisted reportedly because she did not want to lose the family home and belongings.
Death
On July 25, 1988, József shot Judith in the head while she was asleep in her room. Maria, hearing the gunshot, rushed down the hall, and József shot her as well. József then poured gasoline on the bodies and set them on fire. He later went into the garage and shot himself in the head with a .32 caliber pistol.On August 9, 1988, Barsi and her mother were interred in unmarked graves at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Forest Lawn – Hollywood Hills Cemetery is part of the Forest Lawn chain of Southern California cemeteries. It is at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, on the lower north slope at the far east end of the Santa Monica...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. In June 2004, a fund was set up by Barsi's fan club to purchase headstones for their graves. Barsi's marker, placed on August 23, 2004, reads "In Memory of the Lovely Judith Eva Barsi *Our Concrete Angel* Yep! Yep! Yep!" in reference to Martina McBride's song about child abuse
Concrete Angel
"Concrete Angel" is the title of a song recorded by American country music artist Martina McBride and co-produced by McBride and Paul Worley. Composed by Rob Crosby and Stephanie Bentley, the song was released in 2002, as the last single from McBride's 2001 Greatest Hits album...
, and Barsi's character Ducky's catchphrase from The Land Before Time
The Land Before Time
The Land Before Time is a 1988 American animated adventure film directed and co-produced by Don Bluth , and executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy, and Frank Marshall....
.
Barsi's final film, All Dogs Go to Heaven
All Dogs Go to Heaven
All Dogs Go to Heaven is a 1989 Irish-English animated film directed and produced by Don Bluth and released by United Artists. The film tells the story of two dogs, Charlie B. Barkin and his loyal best friend Itchy Itchiford...
, in which she voices the orphaned Anne-Marie, was released in 1989, a year and a half after her death.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Fatal Vision | Kimberly (age 3) | Miniseries |
| 1985 | Kids Don't Tell | Jennifer Ryan | Television movie |
| 1985 | Do You Remember Love | Kathleen | Television movie |
| 1985 | The New Twilight Zone The New Twilight Zone The Twilight Zone is the first of two revivals of Rod Serling's acclaimed 1950/60s television series of the same name. It ran for two seasons on CBS before producing a final season for syndication.-Series history:... |
Bertie | Segment: "A Little Peace and Quiet A Little Peace and Quiet "A Little Peace and Quiet" is the second segment of the first episode of the first season of the television series The New Twilight Zone.-Opening narration:-Synopsis:... " |
| 1985 | There Were Times, Dear | Molly Reed | Television movie |
| 1985 | The Fall Guy The Fall Guy The Fall Guy is an American action/adventure television program produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981 to May 2, 1986. It starred Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas. Majors and Barr are the only two actors to appear in all 112 episodes of the series... |
Little Girl | Episode: "Escape Claus" |
| 1986 | Remington Steele Remington Steele Remington Steele is an American television series, co-created by Robert Butler and Michael Gleason. The series, starring Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan, was produced by MTM Enterprises and first broadcast on the NBC network from 1982 to 1987. The series blended the genres of romantic... |
Laurie Beth Piper | Episode: "Suburban Steele" |
| 1986 | Punky Brewster Punky Brewster Punky Brewster was an American sitcom about a girl named Punky Brewster being raised by her foster parent... |
Anna | 2 episodes |
| 1986 | Trapper John, M.D. Trapper John, M.D. Trapper John, M.D. is an American television medical drama and spin-off of the film MASH, concerning a lovable surgeon who became a mentor and father figure in San Francisco, California. The show ran on CBS from September 23, 1979, to September 4, 1986.... |
Lindsay Christmas | Episode: "Life, Death and Dr. Christmas" |
| 1986 | Cheers Cheers Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles... |
Child #1 | Episode: "Relief Bartender" |
| 1986 | Cagney & Lacey Cagney & Lacey Cagney & Lacey is an American television series that originally aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from October 8, 1981 to May 16, 1988... |
Shauna Bard | Episode: "Disenfranchised" |
| 1986 | The New Gidget The New Gidget The New Gidget is an American television sitcom that aired in syndication from 1986 to 1988. The series was produced by original Gidget series producer Harry Ackerman and was launched after the television movie Gidget's Summer Reunion starring Caryn Richman as Gidget aired in 1985... |
Little Girl | Episode: "It's Only Rock & Roll" |
| 1986 | Eye of the Tiger Eye of the Tiger (film) Eye of the Tiger is a 1986 action/drama film, starring Gary Busey, Yaphet Kotto, Denise Galik, Seymour Cassel, William Smith and Judith Barsi. The movie was directed by Richard C... |
Jennifer Matthews | |
| 1986 | The Love Boat The Love Boat The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain... |
Christmas angel | Episode: "The Christmas Cruise: Part 2" |
| 1987 | Destination America | Amy | Television movie |
| 1987 | Slam Dance Slam Dance (film) Slam Dance is a 1987 thriller directed by Wayne Wang and starring Virginia Madsen, Tom Hulce, and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. It was screened out of competition at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot:A married cartoonist named C.C... |
Bean | |
| 1987 | Jaws: The Revenge Jaws: The Revenge Jaws: The Revenge, Also known as, 'Jaws 4: The Revenge', is a 1987 thriller film directed by Joseph Sargent. It is the third sequel to Steven Spielberg's Jaws and the final installment of the series.... |
Thea Brody | |
| 1987 | The Tracey Ullman Show The Tracey Ullman Show The Tracey Ullman Show was an American television variety show, hosted by British comedian and onetime pop singer Tracey Ullman. It debuted on April 5, 1987 as the Fox network's second primetime series after Married... with Children, and ran until May 26, 1990. The show blended sketch comedy shorts... |
Little Girl | Episode #2.3 |
| 1988 | The Tracey Ullman Show | Karen | Episode #2.17 |
| 1988 | St. Elsewhere St. Elsewhere St. Elsewhere is an American medical drama television series that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982 to May 25, 1988. The series is set at fictional St. Eligius, a decaying urban teaching hospital in Boston's South End neighborhood... |
Debbie Oppenheimer | Episode: "The Abby Singer Show" |
| 1988 | ABC Afterschool Special ABC Afterschool Special The ABC Afterschool Special is an American television anthology series that aired on ABC from 1972 to 1996, usually in the late afternoon on week days. Most of the episodes were dramatic presentations of situations, often controversial, of interest to children and teenagers. Several episodes were... |
Billie Foster | Episode: "A Family Again" |
| 1988 | The Land Before Time The Land Before Time The Land Before Time is a 1988 American animated adventure film directed and co-produced by Don Bluth , and executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy, and Frank Marshall.... |
Ducky | Voice |
| 1988 | Growing Pains Growing Pains Growing Pains is an American television sitcom about an affluent family, residing in Huntington, New York, with a working mother and a stay-at-home psychiatrist father raising three children together, which aired on ABC from September 24, 1985 to April 25, 1992.-Synopsis:The show's premise is based... |
Young Carol | Episodes "Graduation Day" |
| 1989 | All Dogs Go to Heaven All Dogs Go to Heaven All Dogs Go to Heaven is a 1989 Irish-English animated film directed and produced by Don Bluth and released by United Artists. The film tells the story of two dogs, Charlie B. Barkin and his loyal best friend Itchy Itchiford... |
Anne-Marie | Voice |
| 1992 | Growing Pains | Young Carol | Episode: "The Last Picture Show, part 2" (flashback only) |