Sir Walter Bullivant up. In the first chapter of the novel, the reader also learns of Bullivant's son Harry Bullivant, who lost his life while spying in the Middle East in the guise of a muleteer. Sir Walter Bullivant Sir Walter Bullivant is a fictional character created by the Scottish thriller writer John Buchan for his series of novels featuring the spy Richard Hannay. He plays small but significant roles in both "The Thirty-Nine Steps" and "Greenmantle". Sir Walter is a senior mandarin at the Foreign Office in the years leading up to World War I. He is the archetypal spymaster — gruff,
Richard Hannay series "Hannay" (1988–1989). Orson Welles portrayed Hannay in a radio play of "The Thirty-Nine Steps" in 1938, as did Glenn Ford in 1948 on "Studio One", Herbert Marshall on "Suspense" in 1952 and David Robb in the BBC Radio 4 adaptations of "The Thirty-Nine Steps", "Greenmantle", "Mr Standfast" and "The Three Hostages". The 1973 BBC documentary "Omnibus: The British Hero" had Christopher Cazenove playing Hannay in a scene from "Mr. Standfast", as well as a number of other such heroic characters, including Beau Geste, Bulldog Drummond and James Bond. Barry Foster played Hannay in a 1977 television adaptation of "The