HE'S listed in almost every film encyclopaedia in the world, but the entry is usually short and says: 'He was the dominant force in Asian film production and distribution from the 40s to the 70s.' Even at the age of 68, it's foolish to write Raymond Chow off like that. A revision is called for.
Because Raymond Chow, OBE, the chairman of Golden Harvest and 'Uncle Raymond' to his staff and colleagues, plans to be the dominant force in Asian film production and distribution way into the 21st century, when he sees the market lifting off to rival Hollywood - he's not alone in that supposition; even Hollywood can envisage it happening that way.
Although part of Golden Harvest went public last year - the distribution and exhibition side of the business - Raymond Chow would still dearly love to keep it all a secret. The man who discovered Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan doesn't enjoy laying his cards on the table.
It takes the best part of a year to secure an interview with Uncle Raymond and he only finally concedes an hour of his time because he's just made a great business deal that he wants to talk about.
An old-style operative, there's much talk of 'old friends', 'family connections' and 'long-standing relationships' in China - which is entirely accurate but conjures up images of an Oriental film-making masonic lodge, which no Hollywood mogul could possibly break through without Uncle Raymond's benevolent assistance.
And Mr Chow is indeed the avuncular type; smiling and kindly, he side-swipes requests for hard data with the ease of a seasoned pro. Information is money, after all, and bear in mind that this man is a grandmaster at bridge who has represented Hong Kong in international tournaments.