On 24th of August 1980, Paul got married to Elizabeth Glaser. Elizabeth Glaser was an AIDS activist and child advocate from United States. While she was pregnant with her first child, she contracted HIV through a blood transfusion. She was unaware of HIV till she gave birth to her second child Jake. Both of her children were also found to be HIV positive. She died of HIV in 1994. In 1988, she co-founded the nonprofit organization Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
After his first wife died, Paul lived a single life for about a year and then he began dating Tracy Barone. Tracy Barone is a producer and writer. They got married on 24th of November 1996. At the end of 1997, they welcomed a daughter named Zoe. Paul's nationality is American and he is of white ethnicity.
As a child, Paul was enrolled at Buckingham Browne & Nichols School. He also attended Cambridge School of Weston. After his high school graduation, he joined Tulane University. He finally earned his Master’s degree in English and theater in 1966. He also has a master’s degree from Boston University. He made his acting debut in 1967 by starring the role of Dr. Peter Chernak in an American daytime soap opera Love Is a Many Splendored Thing. He made his feature film debut in 1971 by portraying the role of Perchik in an American musical comedy-drama film Fiddler on the Roof. From 1975, he began playing the role of Detective David Starsky in an American cop thriller television series Starsky & Hutch. He is critically acclaimed for this role. He is also a writer and director of this TV series. He is now aged 73 years old and his net worth is $4 million.