Newman was raised in Greenwich Village, New York. He is the son of actress Antonia Beresford Dauphin and producer Peter Ross Newman. His maternal grandmother, Ruda Dauphin (née Podemska), was the president of film production company Odeon International.
His maternal grandfather was English novelist Marc Brandel, the son of writer J. D. Beresford. His parents had a Jewish wedding.
For years he attended Camp Greylock.
