Cary Grant made some serious money for his work in the 1959 classic North by Northwest. According to Donald Spoto's "The Dark Side of Genius: The Life of Alfred Hitchcock," Grant had starred in several successful Hitchcock films. Consequently, his contract for this new vehicle gave him an outright salary of $450,000, plus 10 percent of the gross profit on all earnings over $8 million (the same profit percentage as director Hitchcock's), plus an extra $5,000 per day beginning 7 weeks after the contract was signed and continuing until the production was complete. The 7-week grace period came and went before any shooting on the picture began, escalating Grant's salary beyond belief. Filming took an unexpected 4 months. Hitchcock had a reputation for underpaying his actors, and so it is assumed that Grant made more money for this film than any other lead actor or actress had while working for the closefisted Hitchcock.