Born in Los Angeles, California, the fourth of five daughters, she was dubbed "the baby with the beat" by her family - a title she earned for her frequent song and dance routines. Aronson began her professional acting career at a young age. In the height of her success, she left acting to attend UCLA as a Theater Arts major. Upon graduating from UCLA, Judie followed a unique idea she had, and was successful in creating several eclectic stores, which were featured in Los Angeles Magazine's "top 50 stores in LA" issue.
The death of her character in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter was filmed on a cold December night. It was so cold out in the middle of the lake that Judie, started crying. Ted White, the stuntman who was playing killer Jason Voorhees, became angry with director Joseph Zito for being so insensitive to her discomfort and threatened to quit if Judie was not given a break from being out in the cold water. She got hypothermia while filming that scene.