Judith Barsi

Judith Eva Barsi (June 6, 1978) was an American child actress of the 1980s. She began her career in television, making appearances in commercials and television shows, and later appeared in the films Jaws: The Revenge, The Land Before Time, and All Dogs Go to Heaven, providing the voice for animated characters in the latter two. She and her mother, Maria, were killed in July 1988 as a result of a double murder–suicide perpetrated in their home by her father, József.

Family history
Barsi’s father, József, fled Communist Hungary after the 1956 Soviet occupation. He relocated to New York in 1964, and then to California,[2] where he met Maria Virovacz, also a Hungarian immigrant escaping the Soviet occupation.[1] They married and moved to Los Angeles, California where, on June 6, 1978, Barsi was born.[3]

Career
Maria Barsi began grooming her daughter to become an actress, and at the age of five, she was discovered at a skating rink.[1] Barsi's first role was in Fatal Vision, playing Kimberley MacDonald. She went on to appear in more than seventy commercials and guest roles on television.[4] As well as her career in television, she appeared in several films, including Jaws: The Revenge, and provided the voices of Ducky in The Land Before Time, and Anne-Marie in All Dogs Go to Heaven.

By the time she started fourth grade, Barsi 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[1]—she 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 Timesas saying that when she was ten, "she was still playing 7, 8."[1]

Aftermath
Barsi’s final film, All Dogs Go to Heaven, in which she provided the speaking voice of Anne-Marie, was released in November 1989.[13] Don Bluth, the director of The Land Before Time and All Dogs Go To Heaven, described her as "absolutely astonishing. She understood verbal direction, even for the most sophisticated situations,"[14] and he intended to feature her extensively in his future productions.[15] The end credits song "Love Survives" was dedicated in her memory.