Which silent film star signed the first million-dollar contract in Hollywood?

Mary Pickford signed Hollywood’s first million-dollar contract.

On June 24, 1916, Pickford negotiated a contract with Adolph Zukor’s Famous Players that guaranteed her $1.04 million, along with half the profits from her films. The deal made her the first actress to sign a million-dollar contract and demonstrated how much bargaining power a major screen star could command.

The contract was about more than salary. Pickford received extensive authority over production, including influence over the films in which she starred, and she became vice-president of the Pickford Film Corporation. Her popularity as “America’s Sweetheart” allowed her to challenge the studio system’s usual control over performers.

Charlie Chaplin soon became another million-dollar silent-era star, which is a frequent source of confusion. Pickford’s landmark agreement came first, in 1916; Chaplin signed his own million-dollar deal with First National in 1917. Pickford later helped found United Artists with Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and D. W. Griffith.