Who is Pietra Dawn Cherniak? All you need to know about Billy Bob Thornton's fourth wife
Growing up in the 1990s, you must have seen Bill Bob Thornton's films. The star featured in some of the biggest films, including Armageddon (1998) and A Simple Plan (1998). Besides his successful career, he was married six times. One of the ladies is Pietra Dawn Cherniak, Billy Bob Thornton's fourth wife. So, who is Pietra Dawn Cherniak? Read more about the actress and former model.
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Pietra Dawn Cherniak is a former Playboy model whose marriage to Billy Bob Thornton attracted huge media interest.
- Their union resulted in the birth of two children, but unfortunately, ended in divorce after four years. In addition, Pietra accused her husband of being violent, even in front of their kids.
- Billy Bob Thornton has been married a record six times, and is one of the Hollywood actors with the most divorces.
Pietra Dawn Cherniak profile summary
| Full name | Pietra Dawn Cherniak |
| Gender | Female |
| Date of birth | 9 February 1970 |
| Age | 55 years old (as of 2025) |
| Zodiac sign | Aquarius |
| Place of birth | Santa Monica, California, USA |
| Current residence | Malibu, California, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Caucasian |
| Sexuality | Straight |
| Height in feet | 5'5" |
| Height in centimetres | 165 |
| Weight in pounds | 136 |
| Weight in kilograms | 62 |
| Hair colour | Dark brown |
| Eye colour | Hazel |
| Marital status | Divorced |
| Ex-husband | Billy Bob Thornton |
| Children | Two (William Langston, Harry James) |
| Profession | Playboy model, actress |
| Net worth | $500,000 - $1 million |
Who is Pietra Dawn Cherniak?
Patricia Cherniak is a former Playboy model who was Billy Bob Thornton's fourth wife. The couple had two children together. So here is everything there is to know about Pietra Dawn Cherniak.
Pietra Dawn Cherniak's age
She is 55 years old as of 2025. The former model was born on 9 February 1970. Pietra was born in Santa Monica, California, USA. Her family moved to Russia when she was young.
How did Pietra Dawn Cherniak meet Billy Bob Thornton?
Source: Getty Images
The pair started dating sometime in 1992 after meeting outside an Italian restaurant in Los Angeles. The pair hit it off and dated for one year before tying the knot on 18 February 1993. Their wedding was a private ceremony where the couple invited family and friends.
Pietra Dawn Cherniak's children
The star has two sons with her ex-husband, Billy Bob Thornton. Pietra and Billy became parents soon after their marriage. They welcomed their first child, William Langston Thornton, on 27 June 1993. Their second child, Harry James Thornton, was born a year later, on 19 June 1994.
Pietra Dawn Cherniak's children now
Harry James Thorton, now 31 years old in 2025, is a real estate agent and prop master. He began his career in the Motion Picture Industry as a property master. He has worked as a prop master on several Hollywood films, including Goliath and S.W.A.T.
Harry has also appeared on popular reality shows, including Relatively Famous: Ranch Rules.
William Langston Thornton is 32 years old as of 2025. He lives a private life, and not much is known about him.
Pietra Dawn Cherniak's career
Pietra Dawn Cherniak was an actress and model for most of her career. Here are some of her career highlights:
Playboy Appearance
Pietra Dawn Cherniak's Playboy appearance elicited varied reactions from admirers worldwide. The star attributed her decision to the domestic violence she faced while married to her star husband, whom she claimed was abusive.
Appearance on E! True Hollywood Story
According to IMDb, Pietra Dawn Thornton participated in an episode of the acclaimed documentary series E! True Hollywood Story.
The show is an E! documentary showcasing some of the popular culture's most fascinating individuals, events, and trends. The series includes exclusive interviews with celebrities, family members, journalists, and business executives with first-hand knowledge, new insights, and previously unseen facts.
Johnny Depp, Britney Spears, Drew Barrymore, and Robert Downey Jr. are some celebrities covered in the show.
Pietra Dawn Cherniak's divorce
Pietra's marriage to Billy Bob Thornton ended in divorce in 1997. Pietra filed for the divorce, citing abuse from Billy, even in front of the children.
Pietra had this to say in court papers, as per People.
Over the past year, at least once or twice per month, [Thornton] has hit me, pushed me, punched me, bit me or otherwise physically attacked me, sometimes in front of the children.
In retaliation, Billy Bob Thornton said,
Pietra's advisers have convinced her to take this malicious and untruthful course of action.
Our marriage was not perfect, but I never exhibited the behavior she's accusing me of. Our concerns right now should be about our sons, who will suffer the most as a result of her advisers' conduct.
Billy Bob Thornton's previous marriages
Source: Getty Images
Pietra Dawn's ex-husband, Billy Bob Thornton, has had six wives in his marital life. The actor seems to have no luck with married life. He has been divorced five times.
According to CNBC, Billy's five divorces rank him among the highest divorced celebrities worldwide.
His first marriage was in 1978 to Melissa Lee Gatlin. However, the marriage did not last, and they divorced in 1980. Billy's second marriage, to Toni Lawrence, lasted only two years, from 1986 to 1988.
Following that, from 1990 to 1992, he was married to American actress Cynda Williams. Pietra Dawn Cherniak was his fourth wife. They married for four years, but Pietra filed for divorce in 1997, citing domestic violence as one of several reasons.
After dating Cherniak, Billy briefly dated and was engaged to Laura Dern. Laura was one of the few Billy Bob Thornton's spouses whom he never married.Thornton married Angelina Jolie in 2000. Angelina and Thornton's marriage lasted three years before they split in 2003.
Billy began dating makeup effects crew member Connie Angland in 2003, and they married on 22 October 2014 in Los Angeles.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Pietra Dawn Cherniak? She is an American Playboy model and actress famous for being the fourth wife of Hollywood actor and director Billy Bob Thornton.
- How many wives has Billy Bob Thornton had? The star has had six wives in his marital relationship, with five divorcing him.
- How old is Pietra Dawn Cheirniak? She was born on 9 February 1970 and is 55 years old as of 2025.
- What made Pietra Dawn Cheirniak famous? Her rise to fame came after she hooked up and married one of Hollywood's top talents, Billy Bob Thornton, in 1992. In addition, she also caused controversy when she posed naked for a 1998 cover edition of Playboy magazine.
- Who did Billy Bob Thornton have a kid with? He had four kids with three different women. They include Melissa Lee Gatlin (m. 1978 to 1980), Pietra Dawn Cherniak (m. 1992 to 1997) and Connie Angland (m. 2014).
- Who is Pietra Dawn Cherniak's grandchild? She has two known grandchildren from his son Harry. Their names are Mia and Nikita.
- What is Pietra Dawn Cherniak's ethnicity? She is Caucasian.
- How many wives has Billy Bob Thornton had? He has had six wives in his marital life. The actor seems to have no luck with marriage. He has been divorced five times.
- What is Billy Bob Thornton's net worth? He has a net worth of $45 million according to Celebrity Net Worth.
- Who is Billy Bob Thornton's first wife? His first wife was Melissa Lee Gatlin, whom he married in 1978, then divorced in 1980.
- Who is Billy Bob Thornton's new wife? He is currently married to Connie Angland, whom he has been married to since 2014.
Who is Pietra Dawn Cherniak? Pietra Dawn Cherniak is a renowned figure in Hollywood. She rose to fame when she married actor Billy Bob Thornton in 1993. However, the marriage ended in divorce. But despite the messy divorce in 1997, the pair remain friends.
Yen.com.gh recently featured the interesting biography of Wendy Lang. She is most known for marrying Turkish American political presenter Cenk Uygur. Her husband is a Turkish-American journalist, media host, political analyst, and lawyer. Uygur launched The Young Turks, an American left-leaning, sociopolitically progressive news and commentary programme.
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Chris Ndetei (Lifestyle writer) Christopher Ndetei is a writer who joined the Yen team in May 2021. He graduated from Machakos Technical College in 2009 with a Diploma in ICT and has over four years of experience in SEO writing. Christopher specialises in lifestyle and entertainment coverage, with a focus on biographies, life hacks, gaming, and guides. He has completed the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques (2023) and earned the Google News Initiative Certificate (2024). In recognition of his work, he was named Yen Writer of the Year in 2024. You can connect with him via email at chrisndetei@gmail.com.
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