Judith Barsi

Barsi was born in Los Angeles County, California, on June 6, 1978, the daughter of József Istvan and Maria Barsi. == Career ==

Maria Barsi began preparing her daughter to become an actress when Judith was five. As well as her career in television, she appeared in several films, including Jaws: The Revenge. She provided the voices of Ducky in The Land Before Time, and Anne-Marie in All Dogs Go to Heaven. By the time she began fourth grade, Barsi was earning an estimated $100,000 per year () allowing her family to buy a three-bedroom house in West Hills, Los Angeles. As she was short for her age— at age 10—she began receiving hormone injections at UCLA to encourage her growth. Her petiteness led casting directors to cast her in roles as children who were younger than her actual age. Her agent Ruth Hansen was quoted in the Los Angeles Times as saying that when she was ten, "she was still playing 7, 8 (years of age)." == Abuse and death ==

As Barsi's career success increased, her father József, an alcoholic, became increasingly angry, and repeatedly threatened to kill himself, his wife, and his daughter. He was arrested three times for drunk driving. In December 1986, Maria reported his threats and physical violence against her to the police. After the police found no physical signs of abuse, she decided not to press charges against him. The physical violence continued, with Barsi telling a friend that her father threw pots and pans at her, resulting in a nosebleed. As a result of being abused, Judith began gaining weight Maria's friends urged her to follow through on the plan, but she hesitated for fear of losing the family home and belongings. Months before her murder, Barsi had reportedly told friends, "I'm afraid to go home ... My daddy is miserable. My daddy is drunk every day and I know he wants to kill my mother." József shot Maria in the hallway of their home and Judith in her bed. Barsi and her mother were buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in adjoining plots. song "Concrete Angel". == Since 1988 ==

Both The Land Before Time and All Dogs Go to Heaven were released after her death. In an interview, Don Bluth, the director of both films praised her as being "absolutely astonishing. She understood verbal direction, even for the most sophisticated situations". Bluth had remarked on the difficulty in finding child actors for roles and had intended to continue to feature her extensively in his future productions. == Filmography ==