Mike Davis

Winson Owen Strickland (April 12, 1945 – January 21, 1986), known professionally as Winn Strickland and Mike Davis, was an American actor and model, art director, set designer.

Early life and education 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.

Career Mainstream career Under the name Winn Strickland (sometimes credited as Wynn Strickland), he established a successful career in mainstream entertainment during the 1970s. 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.

Las Vegas Stage Productions Strickland was a highly regarded figure in the Las Vegas theater circuit.

Performance 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.

Art direction at Surge Studios 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. 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.

Director YearTitleRoleNotes 1984 Head Trips Designer Surge Studios 1985 Hard Disk Drive Designer of sets Surge Studios 1985 Century Mining Director Surge Studios

Legacy 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.