Paul Williams (The Young and the Restless)

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. 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.

Doug Davidson joined the cast of the show on May 15, 1978; the episode aired on May 23, 1978. Its creator, William J. Bell, discovered him during one of Bell's trips to Chicago, while Davidson was modelling for magazines. Former executive producer Wes Kenny had a profound impact on his career: "Wes taught me to listen, respond and to play the situation". In September 1994 he was hired to host The New Price Is Right, which taped down the hall from The Young and the Restless at CBS Television City. By May 2002, the actor had appeared in over 3,600 episodes of the daytime drama. Reflecting on the "unique demands" of the soap opera genre, Davidson said: "You must see each day as fresh, but it's also dangerous to invest too much because you do have to come back tomorrow. It's not the Super Bowl every day."

The character Paul Williams was born in May 1960, the son of police detective Carl Williams (Brett Hadley) and Mary Williams (Carolyn Conwell). He has three siblings: Todd, Steven and Patty. Paul begins dating close friend, Nikki Reed (Melody Thomas Scott), giving her a sexually transmitted disease. The romance ends when she takes up with Greg Foster (Wings Hauser); Paul begins dating April Stevens (Cynthia Eilbacher), who gives birth to his daughter Heather (Eden Riegel) despite his desire for her to terminate the pregnancy. He leaves town with Nikki to join a cult, the New World Commune. Paul's brother, Steven, helps to save them from the cult and rescues the former lovers. While Paul and Nikki are away, Greg dates April. However, April falls ill and Greg convinces Paul to marry her. The ill conceived marriage ends in divorce; Paul focuses on his detective career, unsuccessfully trying to find his mentally unstable sister Patty (Stacy Haiduk). While Paul and business partner Andy Richards (Steven Ford) work undercover to infiltrate organized crime, he dates prostitute Cindy Lake. Cindy takes a bullet for Paul, dying in his arms. His mother opposes his relationship with Cindy, and also disapproves Paul's marriage to Lauren Fenmore (Tracey Bregman). Their union suffers when she is stalked by Shawn Garrett (Grant Cramer), who convinces Paul that Shawn and Lauren had an affair. The marriage ends, although Paul comes to her rescue when Lauren is kidnapped and buried alive by Shawn. Pregnant, Lauren has a miscarriage. She and Paul reconcile, although when Lauren submits a nude photo of Paul for a magazine centerfold they break up permanently. Paul becomes involved with his friend George Rawlins' (Jonathon Farwell) wife Cassandra (Nina Arvesen), unaware of the marriage. Cassandra's announcement that she is filing for divorce causes George to have a heart attack, and he becomes terminally ill. He learns about the affair, planning to kill himself and frame Paul for his murder. Paul fakes his own suicide and goes into hiding; he, his father and Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) work to clear Paul's name. George's killer is Adrian, Cassandra's lover from Bermuda. She marries Brad Carlton (Don Diamont), who leaves her after learning that she drugged him. Cassandra tries to reconcile with Paul, but she dies in a car crash. After dating his secretary Lynne Bassett (Laura Bryan Birn), Paul falls in love with his partner Christine Blair (Lauralee Bell). After his mother declares his father Carl dead, Christine discovers that he is an amnesiac living in Norfolk. She brings Carl to town to see Paul, although he remembers little. Despite Mary wanting him back, Carl does not remember anything and returns to Norfolk. After Christine's marriage to Danny Romalotti (Michael Damian) ends, Paul and Christine begin a relationship. April, married to Robert Lynch, returns to town with Paul's daughter Heather. Lynch abuses April, and she stabs him. She is arrested, and Christine is her legal representative. April is acquitted, and returns to New York with Heather. Christine still loves Danny; his mistress Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford) faked her son Daniel Romalotti's (Michael Graziadei) paternity, and he is not Danny's biological child. However, Christine and Paul continue their wedding plans. A crazed Phyllis believes that Christine will try to reconcile with Danny. The night before the wedding Phyllis crashes her car into Christine and Paul, postponing the marriage. Christine and Danny briefly reconcile before she returns to Paul, whom she marries shortly thereafter. She begins a law practice with Michael Baldwin (Christian LeBlanc), who raped her years ago, which requires her to spend months out of town working on cases in Hong Kong and Australia. Paul begins an affair with a client, Isabella Braña (Eva Longoria), who previously dated Michael. Christine finds out and divorces Paul after a six year marriage. Isabella becomes pregnant; she does not tell Paul because of his feelings for Christine, telling Michael that he is the father. She and Michael begin a relationship, and reconciles with his ex wife Lauren. When Paul learns about Isabella's baby he moves in with her, and they eventually marry despite Mary's opposition. She gives birth to their son, Ricky Williams (Peter Porte). However, when Christine and Michael become engaged Paul recognizes his feelings for her and wants to reconcile. He assaults her sexually, and she leaves town. Christine returns in disguise, and works with Mary to expose Isabella as manipulative and scheming. Christine and Michael's engagement ends when he tells her he set up Isabella and Paul so he could have Christine for himself, and she and Paul reconcile. An unstable Isabella tries to frame Christine for her own murder, and later tries to drown Christine in her bathtub. Paul rescues Christine, Isabella is institutionalized and Ricky is sent to live with her parents. Paul and Christine's relationship again ends. Paul closes his investigative company and begins a partnership with Christine, hiring fledgling PI J. T. Hellstrom (Thad Luckinbill) as an apprentice. He continues detective work, rescuing J. T. and Sharon Newman (Sharon Case) when they are kidnapped by the attempted murderers of Brad's family decades earlier (when he was known by his birth name, George Kaplan). Paul investigates Lauren's enemy Sheila Carter (Kimberlin Brown), who had plastic surgery to look like Phyllis (Lauren's best friend) and scheme her way into Lauren's life. Paul captures Sheila, locking her in a warehouse cage, and begins dating detective Maggie Sullivan (Tammy Lauren). Sheila escapes, shoots Maggie (leaving her locked in the cage with Paul) and goes on a rampage, kidnapping Lauren, Phyllis and their children until she is shot and killed by Lauren. Maggie agrees not to tell the authorities about Paul (and eventually Michael), keeping Sheila trapped. Paul's daughter Heather (Vail Bloom) returns to Genoa City as an assistant district attorney, and develops a relationship with her father. He reconciles with first love Nikki, and they become engaged. She then breaks up with Paul, unable to move past her feelings for ex husband Victor. Paul investigates a businesswoman, Mary Jane Benson, only to discover that she is his unstable sister Patty. Patty goes on a crime spree, poisoning Nikki and Victor's granddaughter Summer Newman (Haley King), kidnapping Colleen Carlton (Tammin Sursok)—who eventually drowns—and shooting Victor three times before escaping. Paul tracks down Nikki, and brings her back to town to help Victor recover. Patty is found and sent to a mental institution, where Paul visits her regularly. He begins dating Christine's former best friend, Nina Webster (Tricia Cast). A love triangle forms between Paul, Nina and Christine when the latter briefly returns to Genoa City, and Paul helps Nina track down her long lost son Ronan Malloy (Jeff Branson). Paul's son Ricky (now an adult) returns to Genoa City, working for attorney Avery Bailey Clark (Jessica Collins). Paul attempts to bond with Ricky, but soon discovers that Ricky is psychotic like Isabella. Paul is forced to shoot and kill Ricky to keep him from killing Eden Baldwin (Jessica Heap). Before dying, Ricky confesses that he murdered his ex girlfriend Rachel when she dumped him. Paul surrenders to the police, and is shocked when no knife (with which Ricky threatened Eden) is found at the scene and Eden has no memory of the event. Christine returns to town, and with her and Heather's help Paul is acquitted. Months later he becomes the Genoa City police chief, remaining involved in a number of legal cases. Eleven years after their divorce, Christine and Paul remarry at their friend Katherine Chancellor's (Jeanne Cooper) funeral, with Paul following Katherine's advice in a letter he received during the ceremony.

Global Regina describes Paul, a detective, as always doing "his best to see that justice is done". Canyon News described Paul as a "sexy private eye who many Genoa City citizens have called upon to save their lives and their companies". Davidson said: "Bill brought in my family and the show went to an hour and that was a huge transition for my character".