Matthew Newton 'doesn't want to be part of family'

Matthew Newton's oldest acquaintances have spoken out about his troubled past.

The Australian actor and son of entertainers Bert and Patti, who has been in and out of a psychiatric clinic since attacking former girlfriend Rachael Taylor last year, reportedly suffered from anger management issues even as a child.

An old schoolmate told the Herald Sun that Matthew lost his temper shortly before going on stage for a production of Murder in the Cathedral in 1993, saying: "I was shaking like a leaf. But when Matthew was nervous or embarrassed his way of coping was to lash out at those around him. He was full of himself - the son of a legend who was not often told 'no'."

Another childhood friend remembers Matthew speaking rudely to his mother on regular occasions, saying: "You don't let a 12-year-old speak badly to you like that.

"Poor Matthew was born into a family he doesn't want to be a part of. He doesn't want to be a Newton."

School friend Giuseppe Boemo added: "He was driven and committed about acting the way some kids are about becoming AFL footballers, but I have always felt sorry for him because of the pressure of being Bert's son."

A woman who went through drama school with the Underbelly star also said: "I felt sorry for Matthew. He'd been paraded around from the time he was a 2-year-old as this 'prop' thing. He doesn't know who he is."

When Matthew was first admitted to a Sydney clinic, his lawyer Chris Murphy said that he was being treated for social phobia, obsessive compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, panic attacks and post-traumatic stress disorder.