Russell Patrick Newton was born in London, England, to Julie and Gary Newton, and was raised in Croydon. He had an early passion for film after seeing Forrest Gump.An accomplished musician he began his film career in the music department, he went on to study film at Roehampton University graduating in 2013 and completing his first professional short The Target in 2015. He has since been honing his craft and working with accomplished people within the field.