A new book titled “Chaplin: A Life” by Dr. Stephen Weissman, a renowned psychiatrist, sheds new light on the childhood of the famous British actor and comedian, Charlie Chaplin.

It is widely known that Chaplin’s poverty-stricken upbringing in Victorian London, along with the death of his alcoholic father, inspired the iconic character he created, the Little Tramp.

However, the book suggests that the real source of Chaplin’s sorrow and creative genius was not so much the loss of his father but the harrowing story of his mother, Hannah.

Hannah, a minor music hall star who performed under the name Lily Harley, is said to have had a tragic youth working as a prostitute.

Weissman claims that she contracted syphilis and the disease triggered a descent into madness, which young Charlie witnessed and would never forget.

According to silent film star Louise Brooks, who was one of Chaplin’s mistresses, the experience left him so scarred that he would never have sx without first painting the appropriate part of his body with iodine to prevent any possible infection.

Chaplin’s autobiography, published in 1964, mentions his mother’s mental decay and subsequent institutionalization but attributes it to malnutrition from depriving herself of food to feed her sons.

The new information in Weissman’s book sheds light on the real source of Chaplin’s sorrow and creativity and was previously unknown even to his children, including his daughter Geraldine, who was herself a famous actress.

Hannah, the daughter of a shoemaker of Romani descent, ran away from home at 16 and took on the stage name Lillie Langtry after a famous Victorian music hall star.

She fell in love with Charles Chaplin Sr., a butcher’s son turned actor, whom she met while performing in a comic opera.

However, she left him three years later and ran off to South Africa with Sydney Hawkes, who posed as a wealthy aristocrat.

New research suggests that Hawkes was in fact a pimp who forced Hannah to work as a prostitute in dance halls in the gold rush boomtown of Witwatersrand.

Hannah had enough of this life by 1884 and, while pregnant with Hawkes’ son, decided to return to England and reunite with Charles Chaplin.

They resumed their romantic relationship and eventually got married in 1886, giving birth to Charlie in 1889.

Charlie adored his mother and remembered her as dainty and beautiful with violet eyes and long fair hair.

However, Hannah left Charles Sr. again, this time for a fling with actor Leo Dryden, with whom she had a third son.

Hannah now had three boys by three different men and eventually suffered from syphilis-induced madness, which led to institutionalization.

Despite her tragic end, Charlie always romanticized his early childhood and the strength of his parents’ bond.

He would later become one of the greatest actors of all time and continue to be remembered for his tear-jerking performances as the Little Tramp, an enduring symbol of resilience in the face of hardship.