Royal commentator, film critic and former editor of International Who's Who, Golders Green resident Richard Fitzwilliams looks back at a lifetime mixing with the rich and famous. MARCUS DYSCH reports

There are not many people who can claim to have been present when Liz Hurley wore that dress' at the 1994 premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral. One of those who can is Richard Fitzwilliams, former editor of International Who's Who, lifelong movie fan and commentator on royal events.

That evening is just one of many that he notes as a highlight in a career that has seen him mix with some of the world's richest, most talented and most influential individuals.

Remembering those days of celebrity parties and launches, Mr Fitzwilliams, who is 57 and lives in North End Road, Golders Green, said: "Ivana Trump's engagement party at Syon House, the London home of the Duke of Northumberland, was the most spectacular.

"I have attended an unusual mix of events: Peter O'Toole's Macbeth, which was the worst Shakespeare adaptation of the past century; the famous Commons debate where Michael Heseltine wielded the mace; and the post-premiere party where Elizabeth Hurley wore that dress."

Mr Fitzwilliams grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, where his father worked in insurance. His mother was an artist, it was her influence which instilled in him a life-long love of the arts, and much of his current work reflects this interest. His first job saw him working on the memoirs of a South African shadow education minister, at the time one of only two women in the South African parliament. During this period he developed a love of films, a pastime which in later years would see him appear on British television as an Academy Awards commentator.

After studying at university, Mr Fitzwilliams moved to England and joined Europa publications, writing reference books on the history of English-speaking African countries, before taking on the role of compiling the International Who's Who in 1975, a job he would continue for more than 25 years.

The reference book lists around 20,000 of the most influential people in the world. It was a job which saw Mr Fitzwilliams meet the Queen and Barnet-born Elaine Page, to name but two.

Compiling the book was a constant challenge, said Mr Fitzwilliams. "I did not mix with all the entries, but I did meet some of them," he said. "We tried to present every single aspect of human personality - music, sport, politics, and the arts, so we added in people like Muhammad Ali and Elvis Presley.

"I have never got complacent meeting these people. I like the genuine celebrity culture, but not the way the word is banded about now with the fourth-rate reality shows. The term celebrity' has been grossly devalued. People were in the book because of what they had achieved.

"It is easy for these kind of books to be stuffy. The British Who's Who followed the Honours List, but what it should do is find these people before they get the honour.

"The political figures were easy to compose because we put in cabinet members, but with the arts it is more selective. I put Sir Ben Kingsley in after his performance in Gandhi. It was all about staying power.

"With the Royal Family we did a special feature in the International Who's Who. I sometimes appear on Sky News and CNN now for commentaries on royal events. It is nice to be involved. It is always memorable to meet the Queen. I am often able to combine my work as well; I have just done 13 reviews of the new movie, The Queen."

The job was not always as glamorous as people imagine, often involving long hours chasing information from nations with less extensive communications systems.

"It was done by a massive mailing system, so obviously I could not meet everyone," said Mr Fitzwilliams.

"We had the Pope and former presidents of the United States. We wrote about people from China, which for years would not talk to us because of the regime, and also the Soviet Union, so we had experts in those fields doing research so that the book was as up-to-date as it could be.

"All of this was before the internet, of course. The research was so time-consuming, especially for people from smaller countries."

Having given up his role as editor in 2001, Mr Fitzwilliam is now looking to the future, one which includes running his own public relations company, Fitzwilliam Associates, and generally enjoying life in London.

His current work includes introducing exhibitions for the Royal Society of Portrait Painters.

"The work with the RSPP is fascinating; there are some very high profile artists," he said.

"It is wonderful to be based in London. It is such a diverse city, probably the world's most fascinating city."