Of the four Lead Actor nominees, just one -- Peter Bergman -- had won previously. Thanks to a change in the nominating process that, this year, eliminated restrictions on the number of performers from a single show that could be nominated in a category, The Young and the Restless had three of its actors appear on the ballot in this category.
Despite pundits questioning if three stars from the same show would "split the vote" and an overwhelming majority of experts predicting otherwise, Doug Davidson picked up his very first Daytime Emmy.
"Oh, my gosh, I'm overwhelmed," Williams said after taking the stage. He paused before looking towards this year's Younger Actor nominees. "And it suddenly occurs to me that the presenters are younger than my tux."
"Who do I thank? There's the first name that comes to mind, Mr. Bill Bell, whose genius lives on in our show -- our two shows. And every day I think of Jeanne Cooper. I'm so sorry that she can't be here tonight."
Cooper, who played Katherine Chancellor on The Young and the Restless, passed away earlier this year.
Since joining The Young and the Restless in May 1978, Doug Davidson had earned just two previous Daytime Emmy nominations. His first came only ten years ago, in 2003. Proving that the third time was, in fact, the charm, Davidson scored an Emmy win for an episode that featured a heart-and-gut-wrenching performance.
Davidson, however, humbly said that he felt the Emmy win "represents a body of work that spans about 35 years."
"It means so much to me that it probably means more than it should because there's so much talent out there that isn't recognized. I just feel grateful that in this particular year, in this particular galaxy, that I was able to be recognized.
"I'd like to thank my wife, Cindy, who has been there the whole time, my backbone. My kids, Calyssa and Caden, and most of all, really, I'd like to thank the fans. They've been family to me. They supported my character and me through some very difficult times. Thank you, and God Bless."
IN-DEPTH: Find out which other actors have been named Outstanding Lead Actor.
The Outstanding Lead Actress category, perhaps more than any other category, offered a look at both the past and the future of the world of daytime. Three of the four nominees were previous Daytime Emmy winners. One of the nominees opted to retire from the rigors of acting on a daytime drama series.
The Bold and the Beautiful's Heather Tom, the only performer to have won Emmys in the three divisions of the acting categories (Lead, Supporting, and Younger) added another Emmy to her already impressive tally.
"This is really, really unexpected. Thank you so, so much," Tom said as she accepted her award. "Anyone who knows me knows that my favorite thing to do is to go to work. And Lee Bell, 23 years ago, your husband, Bill, gave me a job, and I will forever be thankful to him and your whole family for the life that I have."
"I love -- I love being a part of an ensemble. I love being a part of a company, and there are so many people who are a part of that company who rarely get thanked. I want to thank them. I want to thank our camera guys, and our prop people, and our stage managers, and our lighting people, and everyone in the booth, and everyone in the office. And I want to thank Brad Bell, the leader of our company. Thank you for embracing my condition and for writing a beautiful and fearless and fierce story."
That "condition" is still part of The Bold and the Beautiful. Heather Tom's son, Zane, with whom she was pregnant in the scenes included in her Emmy reel, now plays the role of her TV son on B&B.
Jokingly asked if she'd considering getting pregnant again in order to win yet another Emmy, Tom quickly said that she would "not be getting pregnant again," but promised that there would be "plenty of drama to go around coming up" that did not involve postpartum depression.
As the laughs subsided, Tom again gracious thanked B&B's behind-the-scenes talent that has crafted the material that has allowed her to win the Lead Actress trophy two consecutive years.
"I'm so happy that I have a show that writes beautiful stories for me, and I can't thank them enough," Tom said with a warm smile.
The last actress to win back-to-back Lead Actress titles was Tom's former castmate and a nominee this year, Susan Flannery (Stephanie Forrester), who won in 2002 and 2003. Flannery and Tom's nominations this year marked the first time that two actresses from The Bold and the Beautiful had even been nominated as Lead Actress in the same year.
