Pietra Dawn Cherniak is the ex-wife of Billy Bob Thornton. Billy is a well-known American actor, filmmaker, singer, and songwriter; he has been in the industry since 1974. However, there’s something unique about their marriage.
Cherniak isn’t only famous because of being the former wife of a celebrity. She is also a model and has worked with and for several famous modeling agencies. How did her and Billy’s paths cross?
That is an interesting question with an exciting answer. You’ll find out soon enough. Moreover, there’s something unique about her husband, too.
So far, he has married six times. Yeah! You read that correct; he has been getting married and divorced for over 25 years, since 1978.
In this article, I, along with all of you, will take a detailed look at the personal, professional, and marital life of Pietra Dawn Cherniak. Let’s begin, shall we?
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Who Is Pietra Dawn Cherniak?
First things, it’s pertinent to know who this fine woman is before making any opinion or comment on her.
Pietra Dawn Cherniak is a model by profession, but as you all know, that is not why she famous in the USA.
Why did I say the USA? Doesn’t she hail from America? Yes, she does. Pietra holds American nationality, but she didn’t spend her early days (childhood) in the USA.
She came into this bi-polar divided world on the 9th of February 1970 in Santa Monica, California, USA. Though, some sources claim that she was born in the Pacific Palisades, not in Santa Monica.
As of July 2022, she is 52 years old. Her zodiac is Aquarius, and she is of mixed or Caucasian ethnicity. Currently, she is living in the US.
Physical Appearance
She has a height of around 5 feet 5 inches, 165 cm, or 1.65 meters. By the looks of her, she weighs around 70 kgs or 154 pounds/lbs.
Pietra has dark brown eyes, and her hair color is black. She prefers to stay fit, always stays on a healthy diet, and also does some exercise.
Personal Life
Even by nature, Pietra Dawn Cherniak is an introvert kind of person, and a private one, too, by the way.
You might or might not have guessed by the above sentence that there is not much to talk about regarding her early or personal life.
There’s no sign of her parents, her siblings, where she spent her early life, or what she did to become famous in a country like Russia.
Well, this is something still unknown to this date; however, it is no secret that she has made a name for herself in the Russian film industry.
Professional Life/Career as A Model
As mentioned above, she used to be a model and actress in Russia. But after some time, she came back to America and began her struggle there.
She has worked with many magazines and outlets throughout her modeling career; the most famous of them is “Playboy” magazine.
Dawn gained public attention when she did a full nude pose in order to raise public awareness against domestic violence against women all over the world.
Why? Because Pietra herself is an alleged victim of domestic violence.
How & When Did She Meet Billy Bob Thornton?
The year was 1992; their destinies had decorated the stage for their first meeting outside a restaurant in Los Angeles, California.
Both Cherniak and Thornton saw each other outside that restaurant. It is not confirmed whether they fell in love there and then or if it took some time.
Since they married a year later after seeing each other, the reason can be any. At that time, Billy was having some issues in his marital life with Cynda Williams, an actress.
It is reported that Billy had already met Pietra before divorcing Cynda. Some say it was because of Pietra, and some say their marriage just wasn’t working.
The interesting thing is that Billy’s first wife made some serious and explicit accusations against Bob when they split up.
Later, his second and third wives also left him. It raises some questions, like why did Pietra marry Billy after knowing that he had already been divorced thrice.
Anyways, on the 18th of February 1993, Pietra Dawn Cherniak and Billy Bob Thornton tied the knot with each other after dating each other for about a year. It was a simple ceremony with not many people invited.
Together, they have two kids: William Langston Thornton, who was born on the 27th of June 1993, and Harry James Thornton, who was born on the 19th of June 1994.
Their Kids
Harry Thornton is somewhat of a work enthusiast and prefers to keep himself occupied. He has also stepped into the industry but primarily stays behind the camera.
Some of his notable on and off-screen projects are “Archer,” “The Good Place,” “The Orville,” “For The People,” “Hollywood,” and others.
On the other hand, there isn’t much information available regarding which profession William Langston chose or what he is doing nowadays.
How Did Pietra Dawn & Billy Bob Split Up?
Pietra Dawn Cherniak was the fourth wife of Billy Bob Thornton. In the beginning, everything seemed to be going smoothly.
They were happily living together; they had two beautiful kids. Pietra and Billy had everything one can expect from marital life. Where did it go wrong then?
According to Cherniak, she found out that Billy’s first wife, Mellisa Lee Gatlin, was indeed telling the truth. Thornton was a violent and abusive husband.
She says that Billy used to beat her often, sometimes in front of the kids. She tolerated this for a long until she couldn’t.
On the 11th of April 1997, Pietra went to court and filed for a divorce from her husband. She made even more serious accusations against Billy Bob, including that he threatened to kill her and wasn’t afraid to go to prison.
Billy obviously denied all of these accusations, saying that it’s true their marriage wasn’t a perfect one, but whatever he is being accused of is completely wrong.
The divorce was finalized after some time, and they got separated. However, they are good friends now and are often seen enjoying their own lives with their kids, William and Harry.
Aftermath
After divorcing Pietra Dawn Cherniak, Billy married again. This time, he married one of the most famous actresses of modern times, Angelina Jolie, in 2000.
They stayed together for around three years and also got divorced in 2003. Then, he married Connie Angland in 2014, and they are still together. He has four kids in total.
On the other hand, Pietra was once pictured with a man, whom she called her boyfriend, but it is not confirmed whether she’s really dating that guy or not.
Because she has neither denied nor confirmed her relationship, it would be premature to say anything as of July 2022.
Pietra’s Net Worth
As of July 2022, Pietra Dawn Cherniak has an estimated net worth of around 500,000$ to 1 million$.
The primary contributors to her wealth are ads, brand endorsements, modeling, acting, and other business ventures.
Whereas her ex-husband, Billy Bob, is a wealthy individual with a net worth of more than 45 million$.
Conclusion
This was a detailed look at the personal, professional, and marital life of Pietra Dawn Cherniak and her ex-husband, Billy Bob Thornton.
Let me know in the comments about your opinions regarding Cherniak’s life and her decision to leave Billy Bob. Thanks for reading this far. Till next time. PEACE!
