Newman was born Alan Scott Newman in
Cleveland, Ohio, to Paul Newman and his first wife, Jackie Witte. When Scott was still a young boy with two younger sisters, Susan and Stephanie, his father moved to California to further his career, leaving his family in New York City. By 1958, his parents had divorced and his father had married
Joanne Woodward. They settled in
Westport, Connecticut, during the late 1960s, where Scott attended
Staples High School briefly. Scott was expelled for bad behavior from some of the expensive private schools he attended. By the late 1960s, Scott had dropped out of college and started to take jobs as a stuntman in his father's films, making over five hundred parachute jumps to become a certified instructor. Newman also played small parts in TV series during 1975, such as
Marcus Welby, M.D.,
Harry O., and
S.W.A.T.. During the same year, he also appeared in the
Charles Bronson film
Breakheart Pass. Newman subsequently appeared in the 1977 film
Fraternity Row, which was to be his last appearance. His alcoholism became more severe, and by 1978 he was sleeping on friends' floors and working as a laborer. He also tried his hand at cabaret singing in small clubs, billing himself as William Scott. ==Personal life==