Michel Hazanavicius originally considered making either a spy film in the style of Fritz Lang or a silent version of the Fantômas series before settling on the melodrama structure of The Artist.

No French television channel was willing to invest in the project because it was presented as a silent black-and-white film, forcing producer Thomas Langmann to piece together financing through his own company and other partners.

The film was originally meant to be titled Beauty Spot, a name that survives in the story as the title of Peppy Miller's breakout film.

Jean Dujardin initially turned down the role, later saying he regretted it and called Michel Hazanavicius back quickly to accept.

Bérénice Bejo, the director's real-life partner, was originally only meant to have a minor extra role before Hazanavicius expanded her part by adding the love story.

Jean Dujardin said he drew inspiration from Douglas Fairbanks for his performance, which earned him public thanks from Fairbanks' granddaughter, Melissa Fairbanks.

The film was shot in just thirty-six days during autumn 2010 in Los Angeles with a mostly American crew, using iconic real locations such as the Bradbury Building, the Orpheum Theatre, and the Los Angeles Theatre.

The film's use of Bernard Herrmann's theme from Vertigo in its final scene angered actress Kim Novak, who accused Michel Hazanavicius of 'raping' her artistic body of work.

The Artist was initially selected out of competition at Cannes but was moved into competition at the last minute after producer Thomas Langmann insisted, requiring festival director Thierry Frémaux to bend the rule limiting French films in competition to three.

Harvey Weinstein reportedly spent close to the film's production budget on its Oscar campaign, deliberately delaying the French release so it would not be submitted as France's Best Foreign Film entry and could instead compete in major categories.

The Weinstein Company strategically entered Bérénice Bejo in the Best Supporting Actress category to avoid competing against Meryl Streep, leading to the unusual situation where Bejo was nominated as supporting actress at the Oscars, Golden Globes and SAG Awards but as lead actress at the BAFTAs and won as lead actress at the Césars.

Jean Dujardin became the first French actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, and Michel Hazanavicius became only the second French director, after Roman Polanski in 2003, to win Best Director.