Judith Barsi: Difference between revisions
Undid revision 596661066 by Paul Benjamin Austin (talk) add a source. |
It's cited in the LA Times article. Los Angeles Times August 7, 1988, Sunday, Home Edition HEADLINE: A SCRIPT OF FEAR; REPEATED THREATS BY FATHER OF CHILD ACTRESS CARRIED TO TRAGIC END |
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[[File:Judith Barsi Headstone Grave.jpg|right|Judith's grave marker decorated with roses in 2004.|thumb|200px]] |
[[File:Judith Barsi Headstone Grave.jpg|right|Judith's grave marker decorated with roses in 2004.|thumb|200px]] |
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Judith was last seen riding her bike on the morning of July 25, 1988.<ref name = "Documentary"/> That evening, József shot Judith in the head while she was sleeping in her room, then shot Maria.<ref name=donnelley /> József spent the next two days wandering around the house,<ref name = "Documentary"/> and said during a phone call with Judith's agent on the next night that he intended to move out for good, and just needed time to "say goodbye to my little girl."<ref name=latimes /> He then poured gasoline on the bodies and set them on fire.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1988-07-29/local/me-7875_1_child-actress|title=Local News in Brief: Bodies Identified as Child Actress, Mother|date=1988-07-29|publisher=latimes.com|accessdate=26 September 2011}}</ref> After incinerating the bodies, József went into the garage and shot himself in the head with a .32 caliber pistol.<ref name = "fuentes">{{cite web | url=http://articles.latimes.com/1988-07-28/local/me-9912_1_apparent-murder-suicide | title=Three Dead in Apparent Murder-Suicide | publisher=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=July 28, 1988 | accessdate=February 10, 2012 | author=Fuentes, Gabe}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/30/us/child-actress-is-slain-apparently-by-father.html|title=Child Actress Is Slain, Apparently by Father|date=1988-07-30|publisher=''[[The New York Times]]''|accessdate=22 November 2009}}</ref> On August 9, 1988, Judith and her mother were interred at the [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park]] in [[Los Angeles]].<ref name=dailynews>{{cite news | title=Child actress Barsi, mother buried |publisher=Los Angeles Daily News| date=1988-08-10 | accessdate=September 28, 2011 | author=C. Phillips, Deidre}}</ref> |
Judith was last seen riding her bike on the morning of July 25, 1988.<ref name = "Documentary"/> That evening, József shot Judith in the head while she was sleeping in her room, then shot Maria.<ref name=donnelley /> József spent the next two days wandering around the house,<ref name = "Documentary"/> and said during a phone call with Judith's agent on the next night - Judith's agent was concerned that Judith had missed an audition that day at [[Hanna-Barbera]] for an upcoming animated series - that he intended to move out for good, and just needed time to "say goodbye to my little girl."<ref name=latimes /> He then poured gasoline on the bodies and set them on fire.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1988-07-29/local/me-7875_1_child-actress|title=Local News in Brief: Bodies Identified as Child Actress, Mother|date=1988-07-29|publisher=latimes.com|accessdate=26 September 2011}}</ref> After incinerating the bodies, József went into the garage and shot himself in the head with a .32 caliber pistol.<ref name = "fuentes">{{cite web | url=http://articles.latimes.com/1988-07-28/local/me-9912_1_apparent-murder-suicide | title=Three Dead in Apparent Murder-Suicide | publisher=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=July 28, 1988 | accessdate=February 10, 2012 | author=Fuentes, Gabe}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/30/us/child-actress-is-slain-apparently-by-father.html|title=Child Actress Is Slain, Apparently by Father|date=1988-07-30|publisher=''[[The New York Times]]''|accessdate=22 November 2009}}</ref> On August 9, 1988, Judith and her mother were interred at the [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park]] in [[Los Angeles]].<ref name=dailynews>{{cite news | title=Child actress Barsi, mother buried |publisher=Los Angeles Daily News| date=1988-08-10 | accessdate=September 28, 2011 | author=C. Phillips, Deidre}}</ref> |
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==Aftermath== |
==Aftermath== |
Revision as of 18:19, 22 February 2014
Judith Eva Barsi | |
---|---|
Born | Judith Eva Barsi June 6, 1978 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Died | July 25, 1988 Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 10)
Cause of death | Homicide |
Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1984–1988 |
Judith Eva Barsi (June 6, 1978 – July 25, 1988) was an American child actress. She began her career in television, making appearances in commercials and in television shows, and later appeared in the films Jaws: The Revenge, The Land Before Time, and All Dogs Go To Heaven, supplying the voice for animated characters in the latter two. In 1988, after years of physical and mental abuse, her father, József, shot and killed Judith and her mother, Maria, before shooting himself in a double murder–suicide.
Family history
Judith's father, József, fled Communist Hungary after the 1956 Soviet occupation. He eventually relocated to New York in 1964, and then to California,[1] where he met Maria Virovacz.[2] Maria, herself a Hungarian immigrant escaping the Soviet occupation, was born in rural southern Hungary,[2] and suffered psychological and physical abuse from her father. József and Maria married, and Judith's birth quickly followed in Los Angeles, California, where Judith was raised.[3]
Career
Maria began grooming her daughter to become an actress,[2] and at the age of five, Judith was discovered at a skating rink.[2] Judith went on to appear in more than 70 commercials and guest roles on television.[4] As well as her career in television, Judith appeared in several films including Jaws: The Revenge and provided the voice for the character of Ducky in The Land Before Time.
By the time she entered fourth grade, Judith was earning an estimated $100,000 a year, which helped her family buy a three-bedroom house in West Hills, Los Angeles.[5] As she was short for her age (she stood 3 ft 8 in (1.12 m) at age 10),[citation needed] Judith began receiving hormone injections at UCLA to encourage her growth. Her petiteness led casting directors to cast her as children that were younger than her actual age. Her agent was quoted in The Los Angeles Times as saying that when Judith was ten, "she was still playing 7, 8".[2]
Abuse and murder
As Judith's career success increased, József became increasingly abusive, jealous and paranoid, and would routinely threaten to kill himself, his wife, and daughter. His alcoholism worsened, and resulted in three separate arrests for drunk driving.[2] In December 1986, Maria reported his threats and physical violence toward her to the police. After police found no physical signs of abuse, Maria eventually decided not to press charges against József.[2]
After the incident, József reportedly stopped drinking, but continued to threaten his wife and daughter, which included threats of cutting their throats as well as burning down the house. He reportedly hid a telegram informing Maria that a relative in Hungary had died, in an attempt to prevent her and Judith from leaving America.[6] Physical violence continued, with Judith telling a friend about her father throwing pots and pans at her, resulting in a nosebleed.[7] Due to her father's abuse, Judith began putting on weight[6] and exhibited disturbing behavior, which included plucking out all her eyelashes and pulling out her cat's whiskers.[2] After breaking down in front of her agent during a singing audition for All Dogs Go to Heaven, Judith was taken by Maria to a child psychologist, who identified severe physical and emotional abuse and reported her findings to Child Protective Services.[2]
The investigation was dropped after Maria assured the case worker that she intended to begin 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 from József.[8] 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.[2]
Judith was last seen riding her bike on the morning of July 25, 1988.[3] That evening, József shot Judith in the head while she was sleeping in her room, then shot Maria.[5] József spent the next two days wandering around the house,[3] and said during a phone call with Judith's agent on the next night - Judith's agent was concerned that Judith had missed an audition that day at Hanna-Barbera for an upcoming animated series - that he intended to move out for good, and just needed time to "say goodbye to my little girl."[2] He then poured gasoline on the bodies and set them on fire.[9] After incinerating the bodies, József went into the garage and shot himself in the head with a .32 caliber pistol.[10][11] On August 9, 1988, Judith and her mother were interred at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles.[12]
Aftermath
Judith's final film, All Dogs Go to Heaven, in which she voices the orphaned Anne-Marie, was released in 1989.[13] Don Bluth, the director of the The Land Before Time, described her as "absolutely astonishing. She understood verbal direction, even for the most sophisticated situations,"[14] and he had intended to use her extensively in his future productions.[15]
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 | Gertie | Segment: "A Little Peace and Quiet" |
1985 | There Were Times, Dear | Molly Reed | Television movie |
1985 | The Fall Guy | Little Girl | Episode: "Escape Claus" |
1986 | Remington Steele | Laurie Beth Piper | Episode: "Suburban Steele" |
1986 | Punky Brewster | Anna | 2 episodes |
1986 | Trapper John, M.D. | Lindsay Christmas | Episode: "Life, Death and Dr. Christmas" |
1986 | Cheers | Child #1 | Episode: "Relief Bartender" |
1986 | Cagney & Lacey | Shauna Bard | Episode: "Disenfranchised" |
1986 | The New Gidget | Little Girl | Episode: "It's Only Rock & Roll" |
1986 | Eye of the Tiger | Jennifer Matthews | |
1986 | The Love Boat | Christmas angel | Episode: "The Christmas Cruise: Part 2" |
1987 | Destination America | Amy | Television movie |
1987 | Slam Dance | Bean | |
1987 | Jaws: The Revenge | Thea Brody | |
1987 | The Tracey Ullman Show | Little Girl | Episode #2.3 |
1988 | The Tracey Ullman Show | Karen | Episode #2.17 |
1988 | St. Elsewhere | Debbie Oppenheimer | Episode: "The Abby Singer Show" |
1988 | Growing Pains | Young Carol | Episodes "Graduation Day" |
1988 | ABC Afterschool Special | Billie Foster | Episode: "A Family Again"; Released posthumously |
1988 | The Land Before Time | Ducky | Voice; Released posthumously |
1989 | All Dogs Go to Heaven | Anne-Marie | Voice; Released posthumously |
1992 | Growing Pains | Young Carol | Episode: "The Last Picture Show, part 2" (archive footage) |
References
- ^ Barsi, Ági (1999), What will you do?, A Better Life, ISBN 0967169399
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Johnson, John (1988-08-07). "A Script of Fear: Repeated Threats by Father of Child Actress Carried to Tragic End". latimes.com. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (|author=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b c DEATH OF A FAMILY - Judith Barsi's story. Arnold Shapiro Productions. February 15, 1989.
{{cite AV media}}
:|access-date=
requires|url=
(help) - ^ "Local News in Brief: Child-Abuse Files Ordered Opened". latimes.com. 1988-08-23. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
- ^ a b Donnelley, Paul (2005-11-01). Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries (3 ed.). Omnibus Press. p. 122. ISBN 1-84449-430-6.
- ^ a b "A Lesson Learned From Family Tragedy". The Los Angeles Times. 1988-09-18. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
{{cite news}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "Girl who appeared on 'Growing Pains' told show's star: My dad says he's going to kill me!". The National Enquirer. 1988-09-16.
{{cite news}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "Inquiry in Barsi Case Dropped Too Soon, Panel Says". The Los Angeles Times. 1988-09-07. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
{{cite news}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "Local News in Brief: Bodies Identified as Child Actress, Mother". latimes.com. 1988-07-29. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
- ^ Fuentes, Gabe (July 28, 1988). "Three Dead in Apparent Murder-Suicide". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
- ^ "Child Actress Is Slain, Apparently by Father". The New York Times. 1988-07-30. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
{{cite news}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ C. Phillips, Deidre (1988-08-10). "Child actress Barsi, mother buried". Los Angeles Daily News.
{{cite news}}
:|access-date=
requires|url=
(help) - ^ Beck, Jerry (2005). The Animated Movie Guide. Chicago Review Press. pp. 13–14. ISBN 1-55652-591-5.
- ^ "Don Bluth - .... on Movies, Games and Visions". Retrieved 9 July 2013.
- ^ Cawley, John. "Don Bluth All Dogs Go To Heaven". Retrieved 9 July 2013.
External links
- 1978 births
- 1988 deaths
- 20th-century American actresses
- Actresses from Los Angeles, California
- American child actresses
- American film actresses
- American people of Hungarian descent
- American television actresses
- American voice actresses
- Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
- Child abuse resulting in death
- Deaths by firearm in California
- Murdered American children
- Murdered actresses
- Murder–suicides in the United States
- People murdered in California