Michael Todd
At age 17, Todd married Bertha Freshman in Crown Point, Indiana, on Valentine's Day 1927. He had been serious about Bertha since age 14, but needed to develop confidence before even asking her out. In 1929, she bore him a son, Michael Todd, Jr. A turning point came for Todd when his father died in 1931; Avrom Goldbogen made the decision to change his name to "Michael Todd" on the same day. Bertha Todd died of a pneumothorax (collapsed lung) in 1946 in Santa Monica, California, while undergoing surgery at St. John's Hospital, for a damaged tendon in her finger. Todd and his wife were separated at the time of her death; less than a week before, he had filed for divorce. The following year, Todd married actress Joan Blondell on July 5, 1947. They were divorced on June 8, 1950, after she alleged that he had abused and extorted her. Todd's third marriage was to the actress Elizabeth Taylor, with whom he had a tempestuous relationship. The couple exchanged vows on February 2, 1957. Todd was 47 and Taylor was 24; he was her third husband. Todd and Taylor had a daughter, Elizabeth Frances (Liza) Todd, who was born on August 7, 1957.