Mike Davis

Biography

Winson Owen Strickland (April 12, 1945 – January 21, 1986), known professionally as Winn Strickland and Mike Davis, was an American actor, model, art director, and set designer active in mainstream television, theater, and adult cinema during the 1970s and 1980s.

== Early life and education == Strickland was born in Sacramento County, California, and graduated from Sacramento High School in 1963.

== Career ==

=== Mainstream career === Initially working as a carpenter, he transitioned into mainstream entertainment set design, earning credits on the 1972 film Sixteen, the 1979 television programs The Osmond Family Show and Carol Burnett & Company, and Las Vegas stage revues like Folies Bergère at the Tropicana.

=== Adult film career === In the late 1970s, Strickland was "discovered" by Colt Studios and began performing under the pseudonym Mike Davis. In the late 1970s, he began working in the adult film industry under the pseudonym Mike Davis. He modeled for Colt Studios and avoided most speaking roles due to a speech impediment, though he appeared in the 1982 feature Games and 1983's Coach. Behind the camera, he served as the chief art director and master carpenter for Surge Studios, designing elaborate sets for films such as Therapy, Head Trips, and his final 1985 project, Century Mining.

== Death == He was diagnosed with an AIDS-related illness in 1983, Strickland died on January 21, 1986, in West Hollywood, California, at the age of 40. Industry peers such as Al Parker credited Strickland's high-production design standards with defining the visual identity of early adult home video.

== Filmography ==

=== Film ===