<P> Sam Healy ( played by Michael J. Harney ) -- Healy is an experienced Correction Officer and supervisor at Litchfield Penitentiary who has a Master of Social Work and acts as prison counselor to many of the inmates . He is initially presented as someone who , though rigid , genuinely wants to help the inmates under his care . Due to his preference for avoiding confrontation , Healy is contemptuously referred to as `` Samantha '' by Caputo , who feels that Healy is not tough enough on the inmates . Healy generally appears weary and often tells the inmates what they want to hear so they will leave him alone - he later admits to his own counselor that he is dissatisfied with his job , having gone into it with such idealistic notions of changing the world , but his experiences have left him cynical . Despite this , he still shows a sense of justice , such as forging evidence to show that Suzanne ( who was going to take for the fall for an assault she did not commit ) was in fact innocent . Healy has an outspoken personal vendetta against lesbians for unknown reasons , cautioning Piper at the beginning of the series not to be involved with lesbian activity . While early on he appears particularly sympathetic towards Piper and even acts biased in her favor , he increasingly dislikes her as he hears rumors of her alleged lesbian activities . His hatred of lesbians , first presented as a quirk , is later revealed to be a deep - seated pathological problem when he explosively sends Piper to solitary confinement purely because she was dancing closely with Alex . In season four , it is revealed that his hatred of lesbianism was imbued in him by his father , who believed that it was a disease akin to schizophrenia . His increasing disdain of Piper culminates in his acquiescence to Tiffany Doggett 's attempt to murder her in the first season finale . During the second season , Healy makes amends with Piper , supporting her idea of a weekly prison newsletter and getting her a furlough to visit her dying grandmother . He also attempts to start a group counseling program with Tiffany , but cancels it due to poor attendance , further adding to his emotional exhaustion . At home , Healy is in a troubled and apparently loveless marriage with a Ukrainian mail - order bride , who speaks little English , and her mother . It is implied that Healy lied about himself to her on the Internet , and she is only staying with him because she has two years left until she gets her green card . In the third season , he enlists the help of Red to mediate between the two and bridge the language gap , however Red ends up lambasting his wife and defending Healy as a `` good man . '' Following this , Healy and his wife appear to have split , while Healy then forms a closer bond with Red . It is also implied they have mutual romantic feelings for one another ; but Red initially flirts with him so that she can be reassigned on her job in the kitchen , much to Sam 's dismay . Later on , it seems that Red and Sam may still have hidden feelings for each other , as evidenced on how they shared a look during Lorna Morello 's wedding , and Red rejected the idea of developing their relationship , saying `` their ships passed too late in the night , '' despite Sam 's attempts to admit their feelings for each other . At times , Healy also finds himself at odds with new counselor Berdie Rogers and her alternative methods , feeling that she is encouraging the prisoners to engage in deviant behavior . In the fourth season , his backstory is further explored . His mother suffered from severe mental illness , causing frequent stress to young Sam . When she began electroconvulsive therapy , her erratic behavior subsided . However , she confided to Sam that she wished to stop the therapy , as they caused her to feel `` fuzzy '' and forgetful . Sam protested against this , saying that he preferred her medicated . Following this , his mother left the home and never returned , with Healy still uncertain of her fate decades later . This experience causes problems between him and the schizophrenic Lolly , with Healy believing that her confession to murdering a guard is a delusion , although it is completely true . At the end of the fourth season , increasingly dissatisfied with his
who plays the prison guard on orange is the new black
Michael J. Harney