Ten-Year-Old Actress Shot Dead By Her Father For Becoming A Celebrity
The horrible short life of a brilliant child actor
Judith Barsi, to the outside world, was a girl who had everything that define success. I mean, when you’re earning close to $120,000 a year, growing your fame, and getting more film roles than many adult actors, at the age of ten, you’re successful. But she was broken, emotionally, physically, and mentally. I don’t have the perfect word to describe the sorrowful short life of this actress. When you see her in movies and TV programs, you see a happy girl but we were all wrong.
Tracing a path of a child actor
Not so many people believed Judith would make it to the top of the entertainment industry, especially in a place like Los Angeles where you have many fine actors already. In fact, her own uncle, brother to Maria Barsi said that the chances of her making a name in the profession were one to 10,000. He wasn’t the only one. There were some of Maria’s colleagues who think the girl would simply be wasting her time. They were like, “Judith would be given a role or two, then everyone would forget about her”
Even with this pessimism, Maria was so desperate for the girl to become an actor. She taught her some basic skills, posture, and how to talk and answer questions. She didn’t let naysayers get into her head. And while the little one was gliding at an ice rink in Los Angeles, a crew spotted her. Consequently, they invited Judith to join their commercial. A beautiful starting point for a potential big name, as her mother would put it.
Judith was physically younger than her age. Still at 7'8 at the age of ten, she was opportune to take daughter roles, much needed at the time. Judith plays Thea Brody, the daughter of Mike Brody, cursed by the vengeance of the great white sharks. She also appeared in 1984 Fatal Vision, playing the daughter murdered by her father.
She started earning about $100,000 a year. With this fine sum, her family was able to acquire a three-bedroom house at 22100 Michale Street in the Canoga Park neighborhood in San Fernando Valley.
Dealing abuse at home
While Maria did everything within her power to get Judith a name in the entertainment industry, her father Jozsef, on the other hand, was complete bad luck. He was not fascinated by the child’s money or her fame. Having a drunk quick-to-anger father, put Judith’s life in jeopardy.
While other people enjoyed her scenes in movies, her mother knew perfectly well that the girl has never been happy. Only if she had had a good father. The problem wasn’t the girl. Everything Jozsef did in the family was always to sadden his wife. Peter Kivlen, a close friend of Jozsef, once said that Jozsef always says he wanted to kill his wife. Kivlen replied that even if you don’t care about your wife, then what about Judith, who would be left without a mother at a very young age? His reply freezes the heart. He said she wouldn’t matter because she will be joining her mother.
Just a day before Judith flew to Bahamas for Jaw: The Revenge, Jozsef threatened to track her down and kill her if she decides not to return. This and several other harsh statements and physical punishments broke the girl emotionally. Judith began showing weird reactions to this abuse. She would often hurt herself, by plucking her eyelashes. Even her cat whiskers became a plaything she could remove anytime she want. This was clearly too much for a ten-year-old. But let’s face it, should any child of any age face something like that? Especially from her own parent?
Judith was often seen crying hysterically. Worst of all, she wouldn’t say anything to anyone about what was wrong with her. Out of care and the fear that the girl’s future is in great harm, Ruth Hasten, her agent, insisted on taking her to a child psychiatrist. Even if that works, what about her father. A problem she will return to.
“You gotta leave him, Maria. Go Washington or somewhere” Maria was advised by well-wishers to seek divorce and turn her back on a toxic relationship. But the fear was always in her heart. Jozsef would surely come after them. Knowing that her husband isn’t the bluffing type, she decided to stay and see if something works out. Has anything ever worked out well with a drinking family man with a killing gut?
Every metal has its melting point. There will always be a point where you would say “enough is enough”. She had to beat the fear now and do the right thing because Jozsef wasn’t getting any nicer. To this end, she started confronting him with divorce. And for the sake of the girl, she rented an apartment in Panorama, a place where they could live anytime she’s called upon to play daughter.
It doesn’t matter if it’s Christmas or an anniversary, each day is the same in Barsi’s household. It’s always that bad environment for the girl and her mother, knowing clearly that her husband was a time bomb. And at around 8 AM on the 27th day of July 1988, police received a call from someone, somebody had fired two gunshots someplace in the neighborhood.
Jozsef Barsi had done exactly what he had always threatened to do; shoot the girl and her mother and set the house on fire. Police found Judith lying dead in her own bed, Maria, lifelessly in a pool of her own blood in the hallway. Both were drenched in gasoline. Jozsef was also found dead in the garage. He committed suicide.
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