May 28, 1963 - Elizabeth Taylor, the highest-paid performer in motion pictures, has been signed for her third successive film at her usual $1 million fee. The actress will receive this salary or 10% of the gross, whichever is higher, for acting in a romantic drama called “The Sandpiper.” It will be her first film in Hollywood since 1960, when she won the Academy Award for “Butterfield 8.” “The Sandpiper” is based on an original story about an artist in Southern California who falls in love with a minister. William Wyler has agreed to direct Miss Taylor. As a result, he has postponed his production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “The Sound of Music” for 20th Century-Fox. Miss Taylor set a precedent for astronomical acting fees with the still-unreleased “Cleopatra.” As a result of production delays and overtime, she collected $1.75 million in salary, and may make more than $7 million if the film recovers its costs. Subsequently, she acted in “The V.I.P.s” at her “Sandpiper” scale.
