Paul Williams is high on the list of heroic leading men at The Young & the Restless, but that wasn’t always the case: the character started out as a working-class bad boy who gave his girlfriend an STD! Happily -- for Paul and viewers alike -- he turned his life around, joined the Police Department (following in his dad’s footsteps), and has been one of Genoa City’s most stalwart and dependable citizens ever since.

Here are 25 things you might want to know about actor Doug Davidson, who is every bit as much an all-around good guy as the character he’s brought to 3-dimensional life for nearly four decades:

1.    Douglas Donald Davidson was born on October 24, 1954.

2.    He’s a Scorpio -- and anyone who knows Davidson (or Paul Williams for that matter) wouldn’t be surprised to learn that Scorpios are known for being loyal, resourceful and dynamic … characteristics which could be applied to both Davidson and his Y&R character in equal measure.

3.    A native Southern Californian, Davidson was born in Glendale, a suburb of Los Angeles.

4.    His early interests were a far cry from a career as an actor: while attending Occidental College, Davidson’s major was Marine Biology.

5.    Paul Williams may have had an up-and-down love life over the years, but Y&R gave Davidson his own real-life happily-ever-after: he met actress Cindy Fisher (ex-Rebecca/ex-Dana) on set, and they’ve been married since May 27, 1984.

6.    The couple’s wedding took place at the Biltmore Hotel in Santa Barbara, California … and one of the ushers was Davidson’s good buddy, rock star and former soap heartthrob Rick Springfield (ex-Noah, General Hospital).

7.    Davidson and Springfield met early on in their careers when they were in the same acting class.

8.    Doug and Cindy Davidson have two children, daughter Calyssa and son Caden.

9.    Doug Davidson made his Y&R debut on May 15, 1978.

10.    He had been doing modeling work and from that was discovered by the show’s creator, William J. Bell.

11.    Davidson found out he got the part when someone from the Y&R costume department phoned and asked for his measurements.

12.    His instant popularity as Paul led to the Y&R writers creating a backstory and family for the character … along with a last name, Williams.

13.    Davidson is the longest-running current cast member on Y&R.

14.    It took 25 years for Davidson to receive his first Emmy Award nomination, in 2003 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. He was nominated again, in 2010. (He also got a nomination as Supporting Actor in 2011.)

15.    The third time was the charm:  Davidson finally won the Lead Actor Emmy in 2013, after playing the role of Paul Williams for an impressive 35 years.

16.    One of the upsides of his long tenure on Y&R is that Davidson has had the chance to romance several of the show’s glamorous leading ladies, including Lauralee Bell (Christine), Tracey E. Bregman (Lauren), Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki) and Eileen Davidson (Ashley).

17.    Another of Davidson’s Y&R love interests was future desperate housewife Eva Longoria (ex-Isabella), who played a mentally unstable woman with whom Paul had a son, Ricky -- and in a particularly challenging storyline, Paul was forced to kill Ricky when he proved as dangerously unbalanced as his mother.

18.    He also enjoyed a close off-screen relationship with another Y&R co-star, legendary grande dame Jeanne Cooper (ex-Katherine), whom Davidson considered his acting mentor.

19.    In 2007, when Bob Barker announced his retirement as host of the long-running daytime game show The Price is Right, Davidson auditioned to be Barker’s replacement … but the gig ultimately went to Drew Carey.

20.    A skilled TV personality, Davidson hosted the nighttime version of The Price is Right from 1994-1995 and has emceed a number of other programs, including the Tournament of Roses Parade and The Kenny Rogers Cerebral Palsy Telethon.

21.    The “come on down” connection continued when Davidson hosted The Price is Right Live!, a stage show adaptation in Las Vegas.

22.    He’s also a “player” who has appeared on numerous TV game shows, including Hollywood Squares, Pyramid and Family Feud.

23.    Davidson made his on-screen debut in the 1977 film Fraternity Row, a period piece about a deadly 1950s fraternity hazing.

24.    In 2013, Davidson starred in the short film Next Week’s Game as a concerned father who tries to find out if his son’s suddenly dropping grades might be a result of a sports concussion.

25.    When asked by an interviewer how he still manages to keep his performance as Paul Williams fresh, Davidson said, “Every day is brand new for me. I don’t look at it from Doug’s perspective; I try to look at it from Paul’s perspective…the attitude at the onset is that I’m going to make this the best possible show I can.”