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True Crime
Judith Barsi — Child Actress’s Life Cut Short by a Double Homicide-Suicide
A father takes the life of his family and himself
Judith Eva Barsi and her mother, Maria, were killed by a single gunshot wound to the head in late July 1988. Judith’s father, József Barsi, then turned the gun on himself and committed suicide. It was devastating news to all who knew and loved the ten-year-old child actress and her family.
Judith was born in Los Angeles, California, but her parents were immigrants from the Hungarian People’s Republic. They had each fled to the United States after the uprising in 1956 and met one another in the restaurant where Maria worked as a server. Their eventual marriage was the second for both. Judith was their only child together.
The young actress had only been performing for about four years. Her career began with commercials and small parts in popular television shows such as Cheers, Growing Pains, Cagney And Lacey, Punky Brewster, St. Elsewhere, and The Love Boat. Judith quickly racked up more than seventy ads and guest roles. She eventually began to land work in film, with an appearance in the movie Jaws: The Revenge. Additionally, she worked as a voiceover artist, providing the voice for Ducky in The Land Before Time and Anne-Marie in All Dogs Go…
