Cyrus Montrose

The Alienist
Angel of Darkness

Biographical Information

Occupation

Manservant (formerly)
Saloon proprietor

Relationship

Affiliation

Kreizler Institute

Relatives

Joanna Crawford (niece)

Appearances

Actor

Robert Wisdom

First Appearance	Last Appearance
The Boy on the Bridge	Memento Mori

“	I am a man with a past that continues to haunt me every single day. Despite the darkness in my story, Mr. Kreizler graciously took me into his household and gave me a second chance at building a life for myself. I am forever indebted to him and continue to fight the battle against the memories that plague my soul daily.	”
	— Cyrus Montrose^[1]

Cyrus Montrose is Dr. Laszlo Kreizler's former manservant. After helping him through a murder case, he started his own business as owner of a saloon.

He is a major character portrayed by Robert Wisdom in 'The Alienist' and 'Angel of Darkness'.

Official Description[]

The Alienist

"CYRUS MONTROSE is African-American and a towering man who is part of Dr. Kreizler's domestic staff and an extended member of the investigative team that Kreizler puts together. He is Kreizler's carriage driver, but often serves as a de facto bodyguard. Having formerly worked in a bordello as a piano player, he shares a love of music with the doctor and continues to enjoy playing the piano in the doctor's home. Cyrus, like all of Kreizler's domestic staff, was saved by the doctor from incarceration or a mental institution as a result of stabbing a drunken policeman who had threatened a young black woman. He has been the doctor's longest-serving employee."^[2]

Angel of Darkness

Cyrus Montrose has moved on from working for Dr. Kreizler to forge his own path and become the proprietor of a downtown bar called the Montrose Oyster Saloon. His newfound independence is not without risk however, as his bar is often frequented by members of a dangerous local gang called the Hudson Street Dusters. This gives Cyrus information valuable to the team’s investigation, but he fears for the safety of his ambitious niece Joanna who also works at the saloon.^[3]

Character Overview[]

Cyrus Montrose is a man of African descent with an impressive build, broad shoulders and muscular arms and legs. Cyrus is bald, has brown eyes and freckles on his cheeks. Cyrus is an honest man with a strong sense of honour and family. Cyrus is haunted by the memories of the man he killed, making him a valuable ally in Kreizler's pursuit of a ritualistic murderer. ^[4]

Biography[]

Early Life

Cyrus Montrose witnessed violence against his mother during childhood. Years later, Cyrus killed a man who was attacking a woman. At the trial, Cyrus was spared the gallows thanks to the intervention of Dr. Laszlo Kreizler. From that moment, Cyrus decided to work on himself and take advantage of the second chance he had been given. At the same time he began to work as a handyman for Dr. Kreizler, performing various tasks such as valet, coachman and bodyguard but also that of confidant and friend. ^[4]

A Faithful Friend

New York City, March 3rd, 1896. ^[5] At Kreizler house, valet Cyrus Montrose and housekeeper Mary Palmer took care of a foundling whom the stable boy, Stevie Taggert, had found wandering the streets at night. The child, clearly in shock, had found a corpse of a child wearing women's clothes. Dr. Kreizler was immediately intrigued by this crime and sent his faithful friend, John Moore to investigate for him.

Cyrus spent the following days accompanying the alienist in various trips to the New York City Police Department and the Kreizler Institute. He also acted as a bodyguard, shielding the alienist from crowds of journalists and onlookers.^[6]

The coachman also accompanied Miss Sara Howard and John Moore to Little Italy when Dr. Kreizler's collaborators wanted to explore some tracks of the investigation and question the family of the late Giorgio Santorelli. ^[7]

When Dr. Kreizler faced the conundrum of having to understand the mind of a serial murderer, Cyrus suggested not to waste too much time with such reasoning, because it would only drive him mad. And Cyrus was all too grateful to the doctor for what he had done to save him from the gallows, to see him reduced to such a pitiful state in order to understand the criminal psyche. The alienist, however, was seriously intent on coming to terms with such topic. Cyrus retorted with a thought-provoking statement, telling him that no day passed by without him remembering the crime he had committed years before or the pleasure he had felt.

When a new murder was committed, Cyrus accompanied Moore and Howard to the scene of the crime and remained on guard to check that no one disturbed their investigations before the police arrived. ^[4]

In the days before the Feast of Ascension, Cyrus took part in the preparations for the trap that Dr. Kreizler and his team were planning to capture the Killer. Their first attempt was a fiasco, but when the killer understood their intentions, he created a diversion that caused the group to split up long enough to kidnap another child and flee. It was during this time that the killer made sure to take Cyrus out of the game, attacking from behind and leaving him unconscious on the roof where he was stationed. Fortunately, Dr. Kreizler and Detective Sergeant Lucius Isaacson arrived in time to save him.^[8]

The man spent the following days in the hospital, watched over by his niece Joanna Crawford, a journalist from Philadelphia. Dr. Kreizler, however, thought it best to let him recover his strength at the Kreizler Institute, where he thanked the valet for all he did for him. Cyrus was surprised by such words, knowing that Kreizler was not very good at expressing his feelings. However, Cyrus did not blame Kreizler for the aggression and reconfirmed his loyalty and respect for him.^[9]

The man spent his convalescence in a makeshift room on the ground floor of Kreizler's house, so he was not forced to use the stairs. Cyrus was pleased to learn of the blossoming relationship between Mary and Dr. Kreizler, believing that both had the right to be happy.

Unfortunately, this idyll was soon destroyed when Connor and his henchmen broke into the house with the intention of threatening the alienist to desist from the investigation. However, Dr. Kreizler was in Washington, DC with John Moore and so the criminals attacked the servants. Sergeant Doyle and the Swede succeeded in knocking out Cyrus and Stevie with chloroform and Connor killed Mary, throwing her from the second-floor balustrade after a violent struggle in which she also tried to rape her.^[10]

At Mary's funeral, a distraught Cyrus attended with Stevie and the rest of the team, gathered for their last goodbye to Mary. Those present silently listened to John Moore recite a poem before the burial. Once at home, Cyrus advised Stevie to take no ill-advised action when the boy expressed a desire to fatally stab Connor in the throat.

That same night, Cyrus used information obtained from Stevie to sneak into the home of the former police captain with the intention of killing him. Hidden behind the outhouse, Cyrus waited for the right moment to strike, but the presence of Connor's son made him desist. ^[11]

Despite the recent mourning and the dangers caused by the hunt for serial killers — including corrupt police officers obstructing the investigation — Cyrus remained loyal to Dr. Kreizler. ^[12]

Helping Sara and John

Cyrus and Joanna disgruntledly watched as Fat Jack, Ding Dong, and the Dusters organized a dog fight in the saloon. Cyrus wanted better for Joanna. He hoped to see her working for one of those rich white families uptown. However, Joanna refused. Cyrus then intervened and asked the Dusters to stop in fear of the dogs scaring off the ladies. Sara and John then arrived unexpectedly, asking about the Dusters. Cyrus informed them that Goo Goo Knox was their leader but only Fat Jack and Ding Dong were present. As for St. Ignatius, Goo Goo owned the property. It burned down the year before. Sara and John then asked to be introduced. Ding Dong approached and asked why they were searching for Goo Goo. However, when they revealed they were looking for a missing baby and wanted to inquire about his property, Ding Dong claimed that he hadn’t seen Goo Goo in months.^[13]

Cyrus hosted the second half of John's bachelor party at his bar. Cyrus gifted Laszlo with a bottle of Charta Riesling. With Joanna still studying law and having previously worked for the Philadelphia Tribune, John offered to get her a job at the New York Times, which Cyrus was grateful for. Laszlo then gave a toast.^[14]

Cyrus informed Sara and John, who showed up at his bar with a picture of Libby Hatch that she was Goo Goo Knox' girlfriend. Sara later returned on her own in search of Goo Goo, however, Cyrus informed her that Fat Jack was the only Duster around and asked her to go home.^[15]

Cyrus returned to his bar to find Ding Dong harassing Joanna. Cyrus pulled a baton from his jacket and demanded they leave.^[16]

Captain Doyle and Byrnes met with Ding Dong at Cyrus’ saloon, where they inquired about the whereabouts of Goo Goo Knox. Ding Dong tried to leave, but Byrnes slammed his face into the countertop. Cyrus warned them that he ran a legit establishment and that it should be treated as such.^[17]

Cyrus gifted Laszlo with a book from Fredrick Douglass. Laszlo revealed to Cyrus how often he felt as if he’d been hiding behind the institute’s walls. The whole time Cyrus was at the institute, he never felt like himself, not like he did at his bar. Despite all of Laszlo’s knowledge in life, he hesitated and treated gingerly. Cyrus advised him that he needed to decide what it was he wanted and to fight for it.^[18]

Memorable Quotes[]

Cyrus (to Dr. Kreizler): "God created life, but God also created murder. And if you're trying to figure out a reason why you're gonna drive yourself mad."

Cyrus (to Dr. Kreizler): "You want to know what it feels like to murder a man? 'Cause I remember every moment. I remember the blood. I remember the broken teeth. I remember the feeling of that warm flesh of his neck in my hand. Yeah. And you know something else, doctor something I ain't never told nobody? The thing I remember the most is the feeling of pleasure that it gave me."

— Silver Smile

Cyrus (to Stevie): "You ain't gotta cut a man's throat to kill him. All you gotta do is cut a man on his leg, nick a vein, you put him away right quick."

— Requiem