''Maximum Security'' is an American

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

television series on

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

about life in a supermax prison. The 45 minute

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

premiered July 3, 1984, and the six-part series began on March 5, 1985. Its stars included Robert Desiderio, Geoffrey Lewis, and

Jean Smart Jean Elizabeth Smart (born September 13, 1951) is an American actress. After beginning her career in regional theater in the Pacific Northwest, she appeared on Broadway in 1981 as Marlene Dietrich in the biographical play '' Piaf''. Smart wa ...

. Among its directors were

Sharron Miller Sharron Miller is an American television and film director, producer, and screenwriter. She is one of the pioneering women directors who worked regularly in mainstream Hollywood in the 1970s and 1980s (along with Elaine May, Lee Grant, Joan Da ...

and

Gilbert Moses Gilbert Moses III (August 20, 1942 – April 15, 1995) was an American director. He was also known for his work in the Civil Rights movement, as a staff member of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and founder of the touring ...

. The series was filmed at the Lincoln Heights jail in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Cast

* Robert Desiderio as prisoner Harry Kanschneider * Geoffrey Lewis as prisoner Frank Murphy *

Trinidad Silva Trinidad Silva, Jr. (January 30, 1950 – July 31, 1988) was an American comedian and character actor who played small supporting roles in a number of films of the 1980s. He is best known for the roles of Jesus Martinez, a gang leader in the TV s ...

as prisoner Puck *

as psychologist, then deputy warden, Dr. Allison Brody *

Robert Alan Browne Robert Alan Browne (June 2, 1932 – June 12, 2018) was an American film and television actor. Browne was born in New York City, New York. He played the minor role of the café owner Ralph Statler in '' Psycho II'' and ''Psycho III''. He also p ...

as the associate warden, Leonard Thigpen *

Stephen Elliott Stephen Elliott may refer to: Entertainment *Stephen Elliott (actor), (1918–2005), American actor *Stephen Elliott (author) (born 1971), American author and activist Sport *Steve Elliott (footballer, born 1958), English footballer * Steve Ellio ...

as the warden, McShane *

Stan Shaw Stan Shaw (born July 14, 1952) is an American actor. Early life Born in Chicago, Illinois, he is the son of Bertha Shaw and saxophonist Eddie Shaw, and cousin of the late soul singers Sam Cooke and Tyrone Davis. His brother is Vaan Shaw, ...

as prisoner Papa Jack *

Art Evans Arthur Evans (1851–1941) was an English archaeologist. Arthur Evans may also refer to: Politicians and activists * Arthur "Slim" Evans (1890–1944), Canadian trade unionist leader in Canada and the USA * Arthur Evans (physician) (1920–2009), ...

as prisoner Papa Jack (pilot episode only) *

Panchito Gómez Panchito Gomez (born November 2, 1963) is an American actor. His parents are from Ecuador and Puerto Rico. Born in Spanish Harlem, New York, Panchito began his career at age seven with a television film: ''Street of the Flower Boxes''. His fathe ...

as prisoner Benny *

Tony Plana José Antonio Plana (born April 19, 1952) is a Cuban actor and director. He is known for playing Betty Suarez's father, Ignacio Suarez, on the ABC television show ''Ugly Betty'' and for voicing Manuel "Manny" Calavera in the video game ''Grim ...

as prisoner Benny (pilot episode only) *

Gene Ross In biology, the word gene (from , ; "... Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ...

as prison guard Clarence *

J.W. Smith JW may refer to: *Jack Wills, a clothing company *Jehovah's Witnesses, a Christian religious group *'' John Wick'', an action film starring Keanu Reeves *Joko Widodo, 7th President of Indonesia, 16th Governor of Jakarta and 15th Mayor of Surakarta ...

as prison guard *

Tyler Tyhurst Tyler may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tyler (name), an English name; with lists of people with the surname or given name * Tyler, the Creator (born 1991), American rap artist and producer * John Tyler, 10th president of the Unite ...

as prisoner Snake

Episodes

References

External links

* 1980s American drama television series 1984 American television series debuts 1985 American television series endings HBO original programming English-language television shows {{US-drama-tv-prog-stub