Paul Williams (Y&R)
Encyclopedia
Paul Williams is a fictional character
on the American soap opera
The Young and the Restless
, portrayed by actor Doug Davidson
since his first appearance in May 1978. A mainstay on the series continuously for more than 30 years, no male character has appeared on Y&R more frequently than Paul.
) was introduced in 1978, he began dating stripper Nikki Reed (then played by Erica Hope, now Melody Thomas Scott
), resulting in his contracting a venereal disease. Despite this, Nikki and Paul became good friends and were engaged. He went on to romance prostitute Cindy Lake, as well as April Stevens (Cynthia Eilbacher), who mothered his daughter, Heather
(Eden Riegel
), before marrying Lauren Fenmore
(Tracey Bregman
) and opening a private investigations agency with Andy Richards (Steven Ford
). Paul chose his career after spending a year as an undercover police officer in the mob
to clear his father of accusations of wrongdoing.
Paul and Lauren divorced, and Paul became involved with Cassandra Rawlins (Nina Arvesen
), not knowing that she was actually married to his friend George (Jonathan Farwell). When George was murdered, Paul was the prime suspect. He faked his own suicide
before going on into hiding, but he was eventually cleared and he reunited with Cassandra. Their happiness was short-lived, as Cassandra was killed in a car accident.
Paul briefly dated his new secretary, Lynne (Laura Bryan Birn
), before marrying lawyer Christine Blair
(Lauralee Bell
). While Paul wanted children, Christine chose to focus on her work; this ultimately led to the end of their marriage. In an extremely controversial storyline twist, Paul forced himself on top of Christine in late 2002, leading viewers to debate whether or not he had rape
d her, or if it was merely "rough sex".
Paul then married psychotic Isabella Braña
(Eva Longoria
), the mother of his unborn son Ricardo, despite still having feelings for Christine. Isabella began to grow paranoid of Christine, framing Christine for her own murder, before trying to drown Christine in a bath tub. Isabella is now in a mental institution, while Ricardo is attending boarding school
.
In 2004, Paul Williams Investigations was forced to close down, and Paul became a partner at Baldwin, Blair and Associates, along with Michael
(Christian LeBlanc
) and Christine. He also hired budding PI J.T. Hellstrom
(Thad Luckinbill
) as an apprentice. Paul dated Detective Maggie Sullivan (Tammy Lauren
) in 2007.
Paul and J.T. vigorously investigated David Chow
. They found out a great deal about his past and kept an eye on him to make sure Nikki stayed out of harm. Victor Newman
also received information/gave information to Paul about Chow to make sure his children's mother stayed out of harm's way. This investigation ended when Chow was killed in a severe car accident set up by the Mafia
.
In late November 2008, Paul entered into a new relationship with his first love, Nikki. After the David Chow incident Nikki didn't want to live with her children or in the house she bought with David, so Paul invited her to live with him. After a blow up with Victor, Nikki went home to Paul to vent her frustration, and they ended up in bed. They were keeping it secret, and trying to take it slow, but Michael Baldwin discovered their relationship in early 2009. In May 2009, Nikki accepted Paul's marriage proposal. Paul was curious about a new woman in town, Mary Jane Benson, and began investigating her because he feels they have met before. He is unaware that Mary Jane is actually his sister, Patty Williams
. As of August 2009, Nikki decided that she couldn't marry him and that she was sorry, which left him heartbroken.
In March 2010 Paul and Lauren share a kiss at Jimmy's Bar while drunk.
On Mar. 23/10 Paul is released from a client of Michael and is told to get a new lawyer. This was because his lawyer Michael Baldwin
found out that he kissed Michael's wife Lauren Fenmore. Lauren was drugged by Daisy when that kiss occurred.
Paul is now dating Nina Webster
, the best friend of his ex-wife Christine Blair. Christine briefly returned to Genoa City. During this time Paul and Nina were looking Nina's stolen son, unaware that Christine knows the truth about where he is and that he is in Genoa City. At the premiere of Gloria Fisher and Jeffrey Bardwell
's nightclub
, Gloworm (previously Neil Winters
' nightclub.) Paul and Christine shared an kiss in remembrance of it being their wedding anniversary. Nina sees this and disappointingly walks away. The next day, when Nina sees the two of them she believes that the two of them had sex. The two of them deeply apologizes to her and assure her that they did not have sex. However Paul and Christine later kiss again almost to the point of them having sex. Christine abruptly leaves with Paul chasing after her. Nina sees Paul chasing after Christine. Paul confess to Nina about this. Nina is so mad that she slaps Paul on his face and storm out the room. Paul later begs for Nina's forgiveness and reminds her that he is still committed to finding her son.
When Nina's son Chance Chancellor is accidentally "killed" by his half-brother Ronan Malloy(Nina's son who was stolen from her after he was born), Paul comforts her.
Paul is unaware that Nina, along with Phillip, Ronan, & Christine, knows that Chance is actually still alive & is going to enter the witness protection program.
On September 13, his son, Ricky, who has returned tells his dad to have a happy birthday.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the American soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
, portrayed by actor Doug Davidson
Doug Davidson
Douglas Donald "Doug" Davidson is an American television actor. He has portrayed private investigator Paul Williams on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless since May 1978, making him the series' senior male cast member.On September 12, 1994, he began hosting a five-night-a-week,...
since his first appearance in May 1978. A mainstay on the series continuously for more than 30 years, no male character has appeared on Y&R more frequently than Paul.
Background
Paul was born in 1960. On September 13, 2011, Paul celebrated his birthday on-screen.History
When Paul, the son of police detective Carl Williams (played by Brett Hadley) and homemaker Mary Williams (Carolyn ConwellCarolyn Conwell
Carolyn Conwell is a Chicago-born American actress who played Mary Williams on The Young and the Restless.She has also appeared in many theatre productions, including Hamlet and A Streetcar Named Desire. Conwell has three children and currently resides in Los Angeles.Conwell has studied under...
) was introduced in 1978, he began dating stripper Nikki Reed (then played by Erica Hope, now Melody Thomas Scott
Melody Thomas Scott
Melody Thomas Scott is an American actress, best known for playing Nikki Newman on the soap opera The Young and the Restless since 1979.-Early Training:Melody Thomas Scott has been a working actress since the age of three...
), resulting in his contracting a venereal disease. Despite this, Nikki and Paul became good friends and were engaged. He went on to romance prostitute Cindy Lake, as well as April Stevens (Cynthia Eilbacher), who mothered his daughter, Heather
Heather Stevens
Heather Stevens is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. She was born onscreen in 1979 as the daughter of Paul Williams and April Stevens....
(Eden Riegel
Eden Riegel
Eden Sonja Jane Riegel is an American actress. She portrayed Bianca Montgomery on the daytime drama All My Children, and propelled the character into a gay icon, as well as a popular figure within the medium...
), before marrying Lauren Fenmore
Lauren Fenmore Baldwin
Lauren Baldwin is a fictional character from the American soap opera The Young and the Restless and its "sister soap" The Bold and the Beautiful. She is portrayed by American actress Tracey E. Bregman...
(Tracey Bregman
Tracey E. Bregman
Tracey E. Bregman is an German-American soap opera actress. She is best known for the role of Lauren Fenmore on The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful and for her role as Sarah Smythe on The Young and the Restless .-Personal life:She was born...
) and opening a private investigations agency with Andy Richards (Steven Ford
Steven Ford
Steven Meigs Ford is an American actor and son of former United States President Gerald Ford and Former First Lady Betty Bloomer Ford.-Early life:...
). Paul chose his career after spending a year as an undercover police officer in the mob
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
to clear his father of accusations of wrongdoing.
Paul and Lauren divorced, and Paul became involved with Cassandra Rawlins (Nina Arvesen
Nina Arvesen
Nina Arvesen is an American actress of Norwegian extraction, best known for her performances on American soap operas. Arvesen speaks fluent Norwegian....
), not knowing that she was actually married to his friend George (Jonathan Farwell). When George was murdered, Paul was the prime suspect. He faked his own suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
before going on into hiding, but he was eventually cleared and he reunited with Cassandra. Their happiness was short-lived, as Cassandra was killed in a car accident.
Paul briefly dated his new secretary, Lynne (Laura Bryan Birn
Laura Bryan Birn
Laura Bryan Birn is an American actress who previously played the recurring role of Paul Williams's assistant Lynne Bassett on CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless from 1988 to September 2, 2004....
), before marrying lawyer Christine Blair
Christine Blair
Christine Marie Ellen "Cricket" Blair is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed since July 1983 by Lauralee Bell...
(Lauralee Bell
Lauralee Bell
Lauralee Kristen Bell is an American soap opera actress. She was born in Chicago, Illinois, and attended The Latin School of Chicago.The daughter of soap opera creators William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell, and sister to Bill Bell, Jr...
). While Paul wanted children, Christine chose to focus on her work; this ultimately led to the end of their marriage. In an extremely controversial storyline twist, Paul forced himself on top of Christine in late 2002, leading viewers to debate whether or not he had rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d her, or if it was merely "rough sex".
Paul then married psychotic Isabella Braña
Isabella Braña Williams
Isabella Braña is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, played by Eva Longoria from March 8, 2001 to August 15, 2003...
(Eva Longoria
Eva Longoria
Eva Jacqueline Longoria is an American actress, best known for portraying Gabrielle Solis on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives...
), the mother of his unborn son Ricardo, despite still having feelings for Christine. Isabella began to grow paranoid of Christine, framing Christine for her own murder, before trying to drown Christine in a bath tub. Isabella is now in a mental institution, while Ricardo is attending boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
.
In 2004, Paul Williams Investigations was forced to close down, and Paul became a partner at Baldwin, Blair and Associates, along with Michael
Michael Baldwin
Michael Baldwin is a fictional character on the CBS television soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed by Christian LeBlanc originally from late December 1991 until June 1993 and then he returned on April 25, 1997. The character has also crossed over briefly to As the World Turns on April...
(Christian LeBlanc
Christian LeBlanc
Christian Jules LeBlanc is an American actor.LeBlanc currently plays Michael Baldwin on The Young and the Restless. He first played the role from 1991 to 1993, and then resumed the role in 1997. He was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for the role six times, and won for Outstanding Lead Actor...
) and Christine. He also hired budding PI J.T. Hellstrom
J.T. Hellstrom
Jeffrey Todd "J.T." Hellstrom is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, played by actor Thad Luckinbill since August 27, 1999. Luckinbill originally appeared on a recurring basis until he was put on contract in November 2002.J.T. left the show on November 5, 2010,...
(Thad Luckinbill
Thad Luckinbill
Thaddeus Rowe "Thad" Luckinbill is an American actor best known for playing J.T. Hellstrom on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless for 11 years...
) as an apprentice. Paul dated Detective Maggie Sullivan (Tammy Lauren
Tammy Lauren
Tammy Lauren is an American actress who has appeared in film and television. She starred in Wishmaster, portraying Alexandra Amberson, a young woman who accidentally awakens the Djinn, a powerful spirit more commonly known as a genie.-Career:To date, Wishmaster is the only feature film in which...
) in 2007.
Paul and J.T. vigorously investigated David Chow
David Chow
David John Chow is a fictional character in the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed by actor Vincent Irizarry from January 9, 2007 to August 1, 2008.-Character biography:...
. They found out a great deal about his past and kept an eye on him to make sure Nikki stayed out of harm. Victor Newman
Victor Newman
Victor Newman is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless played by actor Eric Braeden from February 1980 through November 2, 2009 and again from January 15, 2010 to present. The character briefly appeared on The Bold and the Beautiful in 1999...
also received information/gave information to Paul about Chow to make sure his children's mother stayed out of harm's way. This investigation ended when Chow was killed in a severe car accident set up by the Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
.
In late November 2008, Paul entered into a new relationship with his first love, Nikki. After the David Chow incident Nikki didn't want to live with her children or in the house she bought with David, so Paul invited her to live with him. After a blow up with Victor, Nikki went home to Paul to vent her frustration, and they ended up in bed. They were keeping it secret, and trying to take it slow, but Michael Baldwin discovered their relationship in early 2009. In May 2009, Nikki accepted Paul's marriage proposal. Paul was curious about a new woman in town, Mary Jane Benson, and began investigating her because he feels they have met before. He is unaware that Mary Jane is actually his sister, Patty Williams
Patty Williams
Patricia Ann "Patty" Williams is a fictional character in the American soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed by originating actress Tammy Taylor briefly in 1980 before Lilibet Stern took over the role from 1980 to 1983 and by Andrea Evans from 1983 to October 1984...
. As of August 2009, Nikki decided that she couldn't marry him and that she was sorry, which left him heartbroken.
In March 2010 Paul and Lauren share a kiss at Jimmy's Bar while drunk.
On Mar. 23/10 Paul is released from a client of Michael and is told to get a new lawyer. This was because his lawyer Michael Baldwin
Michael Baldwin
Michael Baldwin is a fictional character on the CBS television soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed by Christian LeBlanc originally from late December 1991 until June 1993 and then he returned on April 25, 1997. The character has also crossed over briefly to As the World Turns on April...
found out that he kissed Michael's wife Lauren Fenmore. Lauren was drugged by Daisy when that kiss occurred.
Paul is now dating Nina Webster
Nina Webster
Nina Webster is a fictional character on the soap opera The Young and the Restless, played by American actress Tricia Cast from June 26, 1986 to February 1, 2001, as a guest star from November 14 to November 20, 2008, and returned on a regular basis on May 1, 2009. Cast won a Daytime Emmy Award...
, the best friend of his ex-wife Christine Blair. Christine briefly returned to Genoa City. During this time Paul and Nina were looking Nina's stolen son, unaware that Christine knows the truth about where he is and that he is in Genoa City. At the premiere of Gloria Fisher and Jeffrey Bardwell
Jeffrey Bardwell
Jeffrey Bardwell is a fictional character in the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed by actor Ted Shackelford from August 8, 2007 to March 16, 2011. Kin Shriner took over the role from April 20 to September 16, 2011....
's nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
, Gloworm (previously Neil Winters
Neil Winters
Neil Winters is a fictional character in the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed by actor Kristoff St. John since his first appearance in January 1991...
' nightclub.) Paul and Christine shared an kiss in remembrance of it being their wedding anniversary. Nina sees this and disappointingly walks away. The next day, when Nina sees the two of them she believes that the two of them had sex. The two of them deeply apologizes to her and assure her that they did not have sex. However Paul and Christine later kiss again almost to the point of them having sex. Christine abruptly leaves with Paul chasing after her. Nina sees Paul chasing after Christine. Paul confess to Nina about this. Nina is so mad that she slaps Paul on his face and storm out the room. Paul later begs for Nina's forgiveness and reminds her that he is still committed to finding her son.
When Nina's son Chance Chancellor is accidentally "killed" by his half-brother Ronan Malloy(Nina's son who was stolen from her after he was born), Paul comforts her.
Paul is unaware that Nina, along with Phillip, Ronan, & Christine, knows that Chance is actually still alive & is going to enter the witness protection program.
On September 13, his son, Ricky, who has returned tells his dad to have a happy birthday.