Winson Owen Strickland (April 12, 1945 â January 21, 1986), known professionally as Winn Strickland and Mike Davis, was an American art director, set designer, model, and actor. He was a prominent figure in the "Golden Age" of gay adult cinema, recognized for his artistic contributions behind the scenes at Surge Studios and his physical presence as a Colt Studios model. Before his work in adult film, he was an award-winning set designer for major Las Vegas stage productions and mainstream television variety shows.
Strickland was born on April 12, 1945, in Sacramento County, California and he attended Sacramento High School, graduating with the Class of 1963. A carpenter by trade, he developed high-level technical skills in California before moving into professional set design.
Under the name Winn Strickland (sometimes credited as Wynn Strickland), he established a successful career in mainstream entertainment during the 1970s.
Strickland served as an art director for several high-profile Hollywood productions, including Sixteen (1972), he was the art director for the independent feature film. Later The Osmond Family Show (1979) and he was the art director for the musical variety series and Carol Burnett & Company (1979) for which he was the art director for four episodes of the comedy-variety program.
Strickland was a highly regarded figure in the Las Vegas theater circuit. He won several prestigious awards for his set designs, most notably for the long-running Folies Bergère at the Tropicana and the production Fire and Ice.
In the late 1970s, Strickland was "discovered" by Colt Studios and began performing under the pseudonym Mike Davis.
Despite his popularity as a model and performer, Strickland was notably reluctant to take speaking roles due to a speech impediment about which he was deeply self-conscious. Consequently, the majority of his early work consisted of still photography and silent "loop" films. He was eventually persuaded by his close friend, director Al Parker, to perform in the 1982 film Games, which remains his only "talking" role.
Strickland's primary professional contribution to the industry was as the Art Director and master carpenter for Surge Studios, owned by Al Parker and Steve Taylor. Parker frequently remarked that Strickland had the unique ability to "make one dollar look like five" on screen. His notable art direction credits included Therapy, he created the "eerie alley" set, Strange Places, Strange Things and he designed a realistic sewer sequence later Century Mining (1985) it is considered his masterpiece; Strickland designed and constructed the film's massive, complex mine sets in just 72 hours despite being in the advanced stages of illness. Mike's other credits includes films such as Head Trips, Hard Disk Drive, and One in a Billion.
Strickland died in his sleep from AIDS-related complications in West Hollywood on January 21, 1986, at the age of 40. Following his wishes, his ashes were released along the California coast.
He is remembered by historians as a bridge between mainstream production quality and adult cinema. Director Al Parker credited Strickland as a primary influence on the "Surge look" and stated that his passion for the studio diminished significantly following Strickland's death.