Paul Williams (The Young and the Restless)

Paul Williams
The Young and the Restless character
Portrayed by	Doug Davidson
Duration	1978–2020
First appearance	May 23, 1978 (1978-05-23)
Last appearance	November 19, 2020 (2020-11-19)
Classification	Past; recurring
Introduced by	William J. Bell
In-universe information Occupation Genoa City chief of police Parents Carl Williams Mary Williams Siblings Todd Williams Steven Williams Patty Williams Spouse April Stevens (1981) Lauren Fenmore (1984–86) Christine Blair (1996–2002, 2013–2023) Isabella Braña (2002–2003) Children Dylan McAvoy Heather Stevens Ricky Williams

Paul Williams is a fictional character on the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Paul was introduced to the show on May 23, 1978, and has been portrayed by Doug Davidson until 2020.^[1] Initially, Paul was a "bad boy", who had a romance with Nikki Reed (Melody Thomas Scott), giving her an STD. The relationship ended, but the two have remained friends since. After a year on the series, Bell gave the character a proper backstory, surname and family. This included his notoriously unstable sister Patty Williams (most recently Stacey Haiduk). After a failed marriage to April Stevens (Cynthia Eilbacher)—who gave birth to his daughter Heather Stevens (Jennifer Landon)—focus turned towards Paul's career as a private investigator, as well as his relationship and eventual marriage to and later divorce from Lauren Fenmore (Tracey Bregman). Paul's string of unsuccessful romances with women—including his ill-fated bride Cindy Lake (DeAnna Robbins), and Cassandra Rawlins (Nina Arvesen), the wife of one of his clients—continued. Over the years, Paul continued to become heavily involved in various storylines as a private investigator.

The character's most prominent love story occurred when he married attorney Christine Blair (Lauralee Bell). The couple faced various challenges together, with their first marriage ending as a result of his affair with the psychotic Isabella Braña (Eva Longoria). The affair produced Paul's son Ricky Williams (Peter Porte); Isabella was admitted to a mental institution and Ricky grew up away from his father. Years later, Paul established a relationship with his daughter Heather, who returned to Genoa City (now an adult) as a lawyer. After years away, Paul's adult son Ricky returned to town and it was revealed that he, like his mother, was mentally unstable. In a controversial storyline, Paul was forced to shoot and kill Ricky to prevent him from killing Eden Baldwin (Jessica Heap). Paul has since assumed the role of police chief for the Genoa City Police Department and remarried Christine.

Davidson's performance of Paul has garnered him acclaim from both critics and audiences, and he has emerged as one of the soap opera genre's most popular actors. Davidson's high Q Score has allowed him to be recognized as daytime's most desirable performer; although TV Guide has labelled him "underrated". Similarly, Canyon News described his performance as "understated", yet "overpowering" and "strong". TVSource magazine stated that the actor has maintained "raw honesty and conviction" in his portrayal. The storyline in which Paul was forced to kill his son earned Davidson a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, having previously been nominated for this award twice. Additionally, Davidson has claimed three Soap Opera Digest Awards from six nominations.