Minor Characters (The Alienist)

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Featuring minor characters appeared in the series ‘The Alienist’, whose limited screentime or relevance do not provide enough material to grant an individual page.

## Flora

Flora is a young prostitute who works at the French brothel of Two-Ton Annie. She is a favorite of John Moore, who assiduously attends the brothel. During their meetings, Flora wears the engagement ring that Moore had given to Julia Pratt, his ex fiancée, and they proceed in reenacting the moment Julia refused John before having sex. One evening their encounter is abruptly interrupted and John must leave the room in a hurry, but the two meet again a few nights later.

She is a character played by Emanuela Postacchini.

## Benjamin and Sofia Zweig

**Benjamin** and **Sofia Zweig** were twin children of a couple of expatriates in New York City. In 1893, the family came into contact with Dr. Laszlo Kreizler when they noticed that Benjamin loved to wear his sister's clothes and behaved as if he were a girl. Although parents sought a treatment, Dr. Kreizler categorically denied that there was something wrong with the child. He also advised parents to love and support Benjamin in his nature and choices. Unfortunately, the child attracted the attention of a mischievous individual who violently killed him, torturing his body and throwing it into a tank on a rooftop in New York. Also unlucky was the fate of Sofia, who was drowned along with her twin brother.

On March 1896, Dr. Kreizler asked Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt the permission to exhume the two bodies when a series of similar brutal crimes began to be committed on the streets against young children. Once the permission was granted, the skeletons were examined by DS Lucius and Marcus Isaacson at the Kreizler Institute.

## Mrs. Zweig

Mrs. Zweig is an expat living in New York City. Grief-stricken with having lost both her children at the hand of a dangerous murderer on a loose. In 1893, she and her husband sought the help of Dr. Laszlo Kreizler when they noticed that Benjamin was inclined to wear his sister's clothes and behave like her. Dr. Kreizler, however, dissuaded the parents from seeking a cure and rather, he recommended them to love and support the nature of the child.

Despite the skepticism and ignorance of psychology, Mrs. Zweig followed the doctor's advice until both of her children were violently killed. Destroyed by grief and in a perpetual state of mourning three years later, Mrs. Zweig visited the Kreizler Institute when she learned that the children had been exhumed. The woman accused Dr. Kreizler of being responsible for the deaths of her children.

She is portrayed by Clare Calbraith.

## Jacob Riis

Jacob Riis is one of many journalists writing articles about the murders that are upsetting New York during the tenure of Commissioner Roosevelt. When Henry Wolff is arrested for the murder of Giorgio Santorelli and sent to Bellevue Hospital awaiting execution, Riis is among the crowd of journalists interviewing Captain Connor and the former Chief Police Thomas Byrnes.

When a new boy prostitute is found dead on the roof of the former immigration station, Riis is again present in the crowd of journalists questioning Roosevelt about the police's inability to arrest the culprit.

He is portrayed by Nicolas Bro.

Notes
He's an in-universe depiction of Jacob August Riis, a Danish-American social reformer, "muckraking" journalist and social documentary photographer. He is known for using his photographic and journalistic talents to help the impoverished in New York City.

## Tessie

**Tessie** is the maid of Miss Sara Howard. She's portrayed by Jacqueline Dafferary.

Tessie takes care of the duties of the house, including the personal grooming of her employer. Where Miss Howard seems to overlook the benefits of her femininity, Tessie tries to advise clothes suitable for the occasion to bring out all the qualities of Miss Howard, not just her brain.

## Mortician

A mortician portrayed by Richard Bremmer in "A Fruitful Partnership".

He works in the morgue where all the unwanted are sent to have a proper burial. Dr. Laszlo Kreizler discovered that this mortician had bigoted opinions and expressed harsh judgments about the most unfortunate of society, such as prostitutes, going so far as to say that people like Giorgio Santorelli had it coming. The mortician also had prejudices towards the nascent psychiatry — including the alienist himself — and other branches of the forensic investigation, having more confidence in the Sacred Scriptures.

## Mr. Santorelli

Mr. Santorelli was an Italian immigrant who lived with his large family and compatriots in New York's Tenderloin. He was a strict father who regularly beat his children, in particular the younger one, Giorgio because the child showed homosexual inclinations. As a result of this, Giorgio ran away from home and went to work at the Paresis Hall as a prostitute.

Following the death of Giorgio, Captain Connor and others police officers and a Catholic priest went to pay a visit to the Santorelli family. Captain Connor violently beat Mr. Santorelli to silence them and stop asking questions about the investigation.

That same afternoon, Miss Sara Howard and Mr. John Moore visited the Santorellis to investigate Giorgio's death. Mrs. Santorelli mistaken John Moore for the doctor they had sent for, and Mr. Santorelli received first aid from the amateur investigators.

## Mrs. Tinker

Mrs. Tinker is a socialite who commissioned a portrait of her daughter to John Moore. She is portrayed by Mary Stockley in *A Fruitful Partnership*.

## Charlotte Tinker

Charlotte Tinker is a young heiress who poses for a portrait by John Moore. She is portrayed by Kata Marackso in *A Fruitful Partnership*.

## Berthe Rajk

Berthe Rajk is a young girl visited by Dr. Laszlo Kreizler under the request of her mother who is concerned by her daughter engaging in masturbation.

She is portrayed by Dorka Gáspárfalvi in *A Fruitful Partnership*.

## Mrs. Rajk

Mrs. Rajk is a Hungarian immigrant who consults Dr. Kreizler to visit her daughter, Berthe. Mrs. Rajk is concerned that Berthe masturbates and this goes against the teachings of their priest.

She is portrayed by Virag Barany.

## Rajk's Priest

A Hungarian priest who argues with Dr. Kreizler about carnal pleasures. He believes that the body is a temple given by God and that it should not be profaned with impure acts such as masturbation, for example.

He is portrayed by Péter Kertész.

## Detective Graves

**Detective Graves** is a co-starring character portrayed by Ignatius Anthony in "A Fruitful Partnership".

Detective Graves is the police officer in charge of filing cases at the New York City Police Department. He directed Secretary Sara Howard to the drawer containing the unsolved cases of recent years concerning young men and children as victims.

## Abigail and Caroline Bell

Caroline Bell is portrayed by Morfydd Clark whilst Abigail Bell by Tracy Sallows.

## Alice Roosevelt

She is portrayed by Lily-Rose Aslandogdu.

## Roundsman Barclay

Roundsman Barclay is a newly appointed police officer portrayed by Gavin Drea.

## Scotch Ann

**Scotch Ann**, a pimp based in the Tenderloin, is a character portrayed by Kate Dickie.

She is the owner and proprietor of the Golden Rule, a basement brothel employing young men who present themselves as females. She expresses annoyance and frustration that the murder of "Fatima" causes her brothel to be shut down. She explains to John Moore and Detective Sergeant Marcus Isaacson that she "bought" Ali ibn-Ghazi, a Syrian immigrant child, "fair and square" from his father to pay off a gambling debt.

Notes
"Scotch" is period jargon for "Scottish" in contemporary terminology. In fact, Ann speaks with a Scottish accent.

## Mrs. Helen Gorenko

Mrs. Helen Gorenko is a staff member of the Kreizler Institute portrayed by Amanda Hadingue.

## Alexander MacLeod

**Graphologist Alexander MacLeod** is a co-starring character portrayed by William Gaminara in "Hildebrandt’s Starling".

Graphologist MacLeod was consulted by Dr. Laszlo Kreizler and his team to analyze a letter written by the murderer. Mr. MacLeod, stunned by the obscenities and gruesome phrases present in the letter, asked if it was some sort of joke but he nevertheless provided some valuable information.

## Ignatius Blunt

Ignatius blunt is an inmate at the psychiatric ward of St. Elizabeth's Hospital portrayed by Jo Stone-Fewings in *Psychopathia Sexualis*.

## Sheriff Early

Reached to New Paltz by Miss Sara Howard, Sheriff Early recounted the murder of Mr. Dury and his wife along with the disappearance of their youngest son, Japheth Dury. Sheriff Dury was adamant that the kid was kidnapped by Indians and that they were also responsible for the gruesome murders.

He is portrayed by Sean Bridgers.

## Ellie Leshka

She is a teacher portrayed by Lily Lesser.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Hossein Amini (writer) & Jakob Verbruggen (director); (January 22, 2018); "The Boy on the Bridge". Episode 1. *The Alienist*. TNT
2. ↑  Gina Gionfriddo & Cary Joji Fukunaga (writers) & James Hawes (director); (February 12, 2018); "These Bloody Thoughts". Episode 4.*The Alienist*. TNT
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Hossein Amini & E. Max Frye (writers) & Jakob Verbruggen (director); (January 29, 2018); "A Fruitful Partnership". Episode 2.*The Alienist*. TNT
4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Ep. 04`
5. ↑ E. Max Frye (writer) & James Hawes (director); (February 19, 2018); "Hildebrandt’s Starling". Episode 5.*The Alienist*. TNT
6. ↑ John Sayles (writer) & David Petrarca (director); (March 12, 2018); "Psychopathia Sexualis". Episode 8.*The Alienist*. TNT