Pietra Dawn Cherniak, also publicly known as Pietra Dawn Thornton, is a former model best known as the fourth wife of actor, writer and filmmaker Billy Bob Thornton. They married in 1993, had two sons—William Langston Thornton and Harry James Thornton—and separated in 1997. Decades later, Cherniak also worked as a licensed California real-estate salesperson.
The newest official professional record located for this article changes an important detail repeated in some biographies. California’s Department of Real Estate lists Pietra Dawn Thornton, license No. 02134660, as having an expired salesperson license. It was issued on July 7, 2021, expired on July 6, 2025, and had no current responsible broker when the state record was retrieved on June 5, 2026.
That means descriptions of Cherniak as a currently licensed California real-estate agent are no longer supported by the state’s licensing record.
Pietra Dawn Cherniak: confirmed facts
| Detail | What reliable records establish |
|---|---|
| Full name | Pietra Dawn Cherniak; she has also been publicly documented as Pietra Dawn Thornton. |
| Known for | Modeling and her former marriage to Billy Bob Thornton. PEOPLE identifies her as a model and, in a separate 2026 family profile, a former Playboy model. |
| Former husband | Billy Bob Thornton, his fourth wife. |
| Marriage | Married February 18, 1993; the relationship ended in 1997. |
| Children with Thornton | William Langston Thornton and Harry James Thornton. |
| Playboy appearance | A January 1998 Playboy feature was reported contemporaneously. |
| Later profession | California real-estate salesperson beginning in 2021. |
| Current California license status | Expired; expiration date July 6, 2025. |
A dependable birth date is harder to establish. Numerous celebrity-profile pages publish an exact date and age, but the stronger sources used here—including contemporary divorce reporting, PEOPLE’s profiles and the California Department of Real Estate record—do not establish her date of birth. An evidence-based biography therefore should not present a precise age as confirmed.
She is Billy Bob Thornton’s former wife, not Mike Myers’s
Cherniak is sometimes misidentified online through unrelated celebrity information. The documented marriage is to Billy Bob Thornton, not Mike Myers. Contemporary reporting records Pietra Dawn Thornton as Thornton’s wife in 1997, while PEOPLE identifies Pietra Dawn Cherniak as his fourth wife.
For comparison, Mike Myers’s documented first wife was screenwriter and actress Robin Ruzan; he later married Kelly Tisdale. Los Angeles Times reporting from both the 1990s and 2011 confirms those relationships.
This distinction matters because similarly structured celebrity-biography pages can propagate a wrong relationship as though it were established biographical history.
Her marriage to Billy Bob Thornton
PEOPLE reports that Thornton met Cherniak, then a model, outside a Los Angeles restaurant in 1992. They married the following year.
A contemporary Reuters report published by the Los Angeles Times gives the wedding date as February 18, 1993. It also records that they separated in April 1997.
The couple had two sons in quick succession. PEOPLE’s family profile, updated September 2, 2026, gives their birth dates as:
- William Langston Thornton: June 27, 1993
- Harry James Thornton: June 19, 1994
William has generally maintained a lower profile, although he has occasionally attended events with his father. Harry later worked in film and television production, appeared on the reality series Relatively Famous: Ranch Rules, and entered real estate.
What happened in the 1997 divorce?
Cherniak filed for divorce in Los Angeles in April 1997, citing irreconcilable differences. Contemporary Reuters reporting said she sought custody of William and Harry, along with spousal support and attorney’s fees. The filing came shortly after Thornton’s Academy Award success for Sling Blade.
The proceedings soon involved much more serious allegations. Contemporary Associated Press reporting said Cherniak obtained a temporary restraining order and accused Thornton of physical violence and threats during their marriage. Thornton publicly denied the accusations.
Later Los Angeles Times reporting noted that a judge issued restraining orders involving both Thornton and Cherniak, citing the potential for violence between the divorcing couple, and reported that each had accused the other of making threats.
Those distinctions are important. Cherniak’s claims should be reported as allegations, alongside Thornton’s denial, rather than converted into an established finding of fact. PEOPLE continues to describe the 1997 episode in those terms: Cherniak alleged physical and verbal abuse and Thornton denied her claims.
Her January 1998 Playboy appearance
After the breakup, Cherniak appeared in the January 1998 issue of Playboy. Contemporary newspaper coverage connected the feature directly to what she said was an attempt to address domestic violence. The Spokesman-Review reported in December 1997 that she wanted to use the appearance to speak about the issue and urge men to stop abusing women.
This is one of the better-documented parts of her modeling history. By contrast, detailed online claims about extensive acting credits, particular modeling agencies, education or a long film career are difficult to substantiate from similarly strong sources.
Thornton later described a very different relationship between them
The public record did not end with the contentious 1997 proceedings.
In an interview with journalist David Sheff published by Playboy in 2003, Thornton described Cherniak as one of his closest friends. He said their sons spent substantial time with each parent and that he and Cherniak sometimes took the children on outings together.
That is Thornton’s own account rather than a joint statement from the former couple, so it should not be stretched into claims about Cherniak’s private feelings. It does, however, establish that by 2003 Thornton publicly portrayed their post-divorce relationship as cooperative.
Photographic records also place Cherniak with Thornton and their sons at Thornton’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony on October 7, 2004, further documenting continued family contact after the divorce.
Pietra Dawn Cherniak’s real-estate career is documented by California records
The clearest evidence about Cherniak’s later working life comes not from a celebrity biography but from a government licensing database.
The California Department of Real Estate lists:
- Name: Thornton, Pietra Dawn
- License type: salesperson
- License No.: 02134660
- Issued: July 7, 2021
- Expired: July 6, 2025
- Current responsible broker: none
- Public disciplinary notation in the retrieved record: no disciplinary action.
Her recorded broker affiliations were Pinnacle Estate Properties from August to November 2021, Pritchett Realty Corp. from December 2021 to February 2023, and Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage from May 2023 through December 30, 2024.
There is also evidence that the license was used for actual property work. A 2022 North Hollywood land listing identifies Pietra Thornton, DRE #02134660, as the listing agent; the property was recorded as sold on September 30, 2022.
A Realtor.com profile under Pietra Thornton still displays Coldwell Banker Realty and describes several years of experience. But for the question of whether she is currently licensed, the state regulator is the stronger source: its June 2026 record says the license is expired and that there is no current responsible broker.
What is actually known about Pietra Dawn Cherniak today?
The latest concrete official information found concerns her former California real-estate license. It does not establish her present occupation after the license expired, and it would be speculative to assign her a new job without newer evidence.
The available high-quality record also does not reliably establish a current residence, current partner or marital status, personal wealth, net worth, education, or a precise date of birth. Those details frequently appear on celebrity-biography sites, but repeating them without a dependable underlying source would create false certainty.
Even descriptions such as “Malibu-based” need qualification. Professional profiles have connected her with Malibu and other Southern California communities, but a work territory or an old profile is not proof of someone’s present home.
The most defensible 2026 description is narrower: Pietra Dawn Cherniak is a former model, Billy Bob Thornton’s fourth former wife and the mother of two of his sons. She later became a California real-estate salesperson, although the state’s record now lists that license as expired.
Timeline
| Date | Documented event |
|---|---|
| 1992 | PEOPLE says Cherniak and Thornton met outside a Los Angeles restaurant. |
| February 18, 1993 | Cherniak and Thornton married. |
| June 27, 1993 | Son William Langston Thornton was born. |
| June 19, 1994 | Son Harry James Thornton was born. |
| April 1997 | Cherniak filed for divorce; contentious restraining-order proceedings followed. |
| January 1998 | Her Playboy feature appeared after she publicly linked the appearance to speaking about domestic violence. |
| 2003 | Thornton publicly described Cherniak as a close friend and discussed cooperative parenting. |
| October 7, 2004 | Cherniak and their sons attended Thornton’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony. |
| July 7, 2021 | California real-estate salesperson license issued. |
| September 30, 2022 | A North Hollywood property she listed under license No. 02134660 was recorded as sold. |
| December 30, 2024 | Her last brokerage affiliation shown by the state ended. |
| July 6, 2025 | California salesperson license expired. |
| June 5, 2026 | State record showed the license as expired with no current responsible broker. |
Sources
The strongest source for Cherniak’s later professional history is the California Department of Real Estate public license record, which supplies her legal professional name, license number, dates and brokerage history. California Department of Real Estate license record
For her marriage and 1997 divorce filing, contemporary Reuters reporting preserved by the Los Angeles Times provides the wedding date, separation and court-filing details. Los Angeles Times: 1997 divorce filing report
PEOPLE’s updated Thornton relationship and family profiles document Cherniak’s place in his marriage history, her modeling background and their sons. PEOPLE: Billy Bob Thornton’s marriage history PEOPLE: Billy Bob Thornton’s children
For Thornton’s own later account of their post-divorce relationship, journalist David Sheff’s archive of his Playboy interview with Thornton preserves the relevant exchange. David Sheff: Billy Bob Thornton interview
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