Editing Gloria Swanson (section)

===1919–1926: Famous Players–Lasky/Paramount Pictures===
[[File:Gloria Swanson - Screen Acting.jpg|thumb|left|Swanson in the 1920s]]
At the behest of DeMille, Swanson signed a contract with Famous Players–Lasky on December 30, 1918, for $150 a week, to be raised to $200 a week, and eventually $350 a week.{{sfn|Birchard|2009|p=138}} Her first picture under her new contract was DeMille's World War I romantic drama ''[[For Better, for Worse (1919 film)|For Better, for Worse]]''.{{sfn|Birchard|2009|p=139}} She made six pictures under the direction of DeMille,{{sfn|Beauchamp|2009|p=109}} including ''[[Male and Female]]''{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=55}} (1919), in which she posed with a lion as "Lion's Bride".{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=56}} While she and her father were dining out one evening, the man who would become her second husband, Equity Pictures president [[Herbert K. Somborn]], introduced himself, by inviting her to meet one of her personal idols, actress [[Clara Kimball Young]].{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=58, 61}}

[[File:Glora Swanson and Rudolph Valentino in 'Beyond the Rocks', 1922.jpg|thumb|right|Swanson and Rudolph Valentino in a scene from [[Beyond the Rocks (film)|''Beyond the Rocks'']] (1922)|alt=Black and white photo of a man and woman embracing]]
''[[Why Change Your Wife?]]'', ''[[Something to Think About]]'' (both 1920), and ''[[The Affairs of Anatol]]'' (1921) soon followed.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=439–440}} She next appeared in 10 films directed by [[Sam Wood]],{{sfn|Thomson|2014|p=1016}} starting with ''[[The Great Moment (1921 film)|The Great Moment]]'' (1921) and including ''[[Beyond the Rocks (film)|Beyond the Rocks]]'' in 1922 with her longtime friend [[Rudolph Valentino]].{{sfn|Shearer|2013|p=59}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Beyond the Rocks |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/2845-BEYOND-THEROCKS?sid=893f4dd9-5389-4cd4-8050-1ca3a6ed9301&sr=9.378596&cp=1&pos=0 |website=catalog.afi.com |publisher=AFI |access-date=May 27, 2020}}</ref> Valentino had become a star in 1921 for his appearance in ''[[The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (film)|The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse]]'', but Swanson had known him since his days as an aspiring actor getting small parts, with no apparent hope for his professional future. She was impressed by his shy, well-mannered personality, the complete opposite of what his public image would become.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=93–94}}

After her films with Wood, she appeared in ''[[Zaza (1923 film)|Zaza]]'' (1923) directed by [[Allan Dwan]]. During her time at Famous Players–Lasky, seven more of her films were directed by Dwan.{{sfn|Shearer|2013|p=423}} 

In 1925, Swanson starred in the French-American comedy ''[[Madame Sans-Gêne (1925 film)|Madame Sans-Gêne]]'', directed by [[Léonce Perret]].{{sfn|Shearer|2013|p=123}} Filming was allowed for the first time at many of the historic sites relating to Napoleon. While it was well received at the time, no prints are known to exist and it is considered to be a [[lost film]].{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=150, 370}} Swanson appeared in a 1925 short produced by [[Lee de Forest]] in his [[Phonofilm]] sound-on-film process.{{sfn|Shearer|2013|p=86}} She made a number of films for Paramount, including ''[[The Coast of Folly (1925 film)|The Coast of Folly]]'' (1925), ''[[Stage Struck (1925 film)|Stage Struck]]'' (1925) and ''[[The Untamed Lady]]'' (1926).{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=443–444}} Before she could produce films with United Artists, she completed ''[[Fine Manners]]'' with Paramount and turned down an offer to make ''[[The King of Kings (1927 film)|The King of Kings]]'' with DeMille.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=167, 169–170}}