This child actress was shot by her own father

Judith Eva Barsi was born in Los Angeles to Hungarian parents, both of whom immigrated from the Hungarian People’s Republic. She began acting at a young age, and a bright future awaited her, but her life was cut short by her own father.

József Barsi fled to the United States after the 1956 uprising in Hungary, and he later met Mária Barsi (Virovacz) in Los Angeles, who had also immigrated there. In 1978, they welcomed a daughter, Judith Eva Barsi. To the public, they seemed like the perfect, happy, successful family; however, that was far from the truth.

Judith began acting at the young age of four, and she starred in over 70 commercials, as well as more than two dozen television and film productions before her untimely death. In a chilling coincidence, Judith’s first role was in a television mini-series, in which a man murdered his wife and children.

Judith was estimated to earn $100,000 a year by the time she was 9, and with the help of her salary, her family purchased the home where the tragedy later occurred.

Both of Judith’s parents had troubled childhoods: Mária was abused by her father, while József had no self-esteem and was bullied by his peers. Judith’s father later became an alcoholic, and as her success increased, his condition seemed to get worse, often becoming violent and angry, threatening to kill his family and himself. He ended up arrested three times for DUIs.

In 1986, Mária reported her husband’s threats to the police, but as they found no physical evidence of abuse, she decided against pressing charges. However, József’s abuse was more than verbal threats. Judith once reportedly told a friend that her father had thrown pots and pans at her, which made her nose bleed, and she also said that she was afraid to go home. The severe verbal and physical abuse led Judith to develop trichotillomania, which is a disorder that makes people pull out their own hair, or in Judith’s case, her eyelashes and her cat’s whiskers.