Billy Bob Thornton's 4 Kids: Everything You Need to Know About Amanda, William, Harry, and Bella
- Celebrity
-
- UPDATED JULY 30, 2024
by Tasha Mayberry
670 shares
Billy Bob Thornton is a father to four children: daughters Amanda and Bella and sons William and Harry. The “Sling Blade” star has been married six times and shares children with three of his former partners. He welcomed his first child, daughter Amanda Brumfield (née Thornton), in 1979 with his first wife, Melissa Lee Gatlin. The pair split the following year. After two other marriages, Billy wed former Playboy model Pietra Dawn Cherniak in 1993.
He and Cherniak welcomed two sons together: William in 1993 and Harry in 1994. Three years later, the couple went their separate ways. In 2000, he married his “Pushing Tin” co-star Angelina Jolie. Soon after their divorce in 2003, he began dating special effects artist Connie Angland, with whom he welcomed his daughter Bella in 2004. Billy and Angland married in 2014.
Amanda Brooke Brumfield, 45
Billy became a first-time father when his daughter Amanda Brooke was born on July 28, 1979. She was his first and only child with his first wife, Gatlin, to whom he was married for two years before their divorce in 1980. The Academy Award winner has talked about his difficult relationship with his estranged daughter Amanda, including that he wasn’t very present during her childhood.
“She didn’t grow up with me, and so we were pretty much strangers for years,” he told the U.K.’s Mail on Sunday in 2005. “Then a few years later, we reconnected, and it’s really good now.” However, in 2009, Billy’s public relationship with Amanda changed when she was indicted on multiple charges — including first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, and aggravated manslaughter — after her 1-year-old goddaughter died while in her care in October 2008. Billy’s publicist told CNN that he had not been in contact with Amanda “for quite some time.
William Langston Thornton, 31
Billy and Cherniak welcomed son William Langston Thornton on June 27, 1993. Named after his father — Billy’s full name is William — he was the actor’s first son and first child with Cherniak. William has made a handful of public appearances with his dad over the years, as early as the 1998 “Rugrats” premiere. Billy’s elder son had another red carpet moment in 2016 when he joined his dad and stepmom, Angland, for the premiere of “Bad Santa 2.
For the occasion, William wore a fitted all-black outfit, including a tie and hat. He opted for a similar look for the premiere of “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” that same year. William also pops up on his younger brother’s Instagram account from time to time, offering glimpses into the siblings’ life together. It seems the two have remained close with their dad, returning home for the holidays and often posing alongside the actor at family gatherings.
Harry James Thornton, 30
Billy and Cherniak welcomed their second son, Harry James Thornton, on June 19, 1994. In 2022, Harry starred in E!’s reality series “Relatively Famous: Ranch Rules,” in which the children of celebrities tackled farm work. On the show, Harry opened up about his childhood, telling his co-stars he was homeschooled. I think we stayed in a lot when I was growing up,” he shared, per E!. His reality TV appearance wasn’t the only way he has followed in his father’s Hollywood footsteps: Harry’s first credited job was as a set dresser on “The Good Place” in 2018.
He was also an assistant prop master on his dad’s Golden Globe-winning series “Goliath.” Beyond TV work, Harry is also a luxury real estate agent. While he started out at the Aaron Kirman Group, he eventually opened his own Beverly Hills-based firm, Thornton Group. Harry shares two daughters with his fiancée, Magi Monet: Mia and Nikita. He welcomed Mia in 2013 when he was 19 years old and later had Nikita in 2018. The following year, he announced his engagement to Monet on Instagram with a photo of a little blue box from Tiffany & Co.
Bella Thornton, 19
Billy and his now-wife Angland welcomed daughter Bella Thornton in September 2004 in Los Angeles — she is Billy’s fourth and Angland’s first child. The actor’s youngest arrived soon after he began dating Angland, who is a special effects film technician. About 10 years later, he and Angland quietly got married on Oct. 22, 2014, in a private ceremony at home. When Bella was 9, Billy gave a glimpse into their life at home, offering insight into her passion for bugs and books. “My daughter wants to be an entomologist, so everything is about insects like butterflies and caterpillars,” he shared.
Last Halloween she went as a monarch butterfly and I went as a ladybug. That doesn’t really look like me, but I did it. I strapped on the wings and everything.” While Bella has stayed mostly out of the spotlight, she’s made a number of public appearances with her parents over the years. In 2008, she joined her dad on stage as he performed with his band, The Boxmasters, at Borders in L.A. She also went with her parents to an event for “Steven Universe” creator Rebecca Sugar’s book “The Tale of Steven” in October 2019.
Who Is Billy Bob Thornton's Wife? All About Connie Angland
Billy Bob Thornton has been married to Connie Angland for nearly a decade, but he actually never thought it would happen. “Maybe there’s something about the official nature of it — maybe it’s once there’s a paper signed or a door seems closed, then I turn into more of a caged lion or something,” Thornton told HuffPost Live in August 2014. The Oscar winner deliberately keeps his personal life relatively close to the vest in part because of the scrutiny that surrounded his highest-profile marriage to his fifth wife, Angelina Jolie. “When you’re in a celebrity marriage … I had one of those periods, and during that time I found celebrity to be difficult just because of privacy issues,” Thornton told Oprah Winfrey on a 2014 episode of her “Master Class” podcast.
He added that he didn’t necessarily see a need to marry Angland at the time, but that he was happy. “I’m in a good relationship now, I have been for 10 years,” he said. “We have a beautiful daughter.” Aside from Angland and Jolie, Thornton was previously married to Melissa Lee Gatlin from 1978 to 1980, Toni Lawrence from 1986 to 1988, Cynda Williams from 1990 to 1992, and Pietra Dawn Cherniak from 1993 to 1997. He was also previously engaged to Oscar winner Laura Dern, with whom he was in a relationship from 1997 to 1999.
