AceShowbiz - John Barbour, the innovative creator and co-host of the groundbreaking NBC reality series Real People, passed away on Sunday at his Las Vegas home due to natural causes. He was 93 years old, according to a family representative.

Born in Toronto on April 24, 1933, John Barbour began his career as a stand-up comedian. His early work led to television appearances on programs hosted by Steve Allen, Joey Bishop, and Dean Martin. He also opened for renowned performers such as Robert Goulet and Bobby Darin during Las Vegas engagements.

In addition to live performances, Barbour released two comedy albums. The first, It’s Tough to Be White (1965), addressed civil rights and race relations, featuring liner notes by Dick Gregory. His 1978 album, I Met a Man I Didn’t Like, included liner notes penned by Neil Simon, highlighting his growing stature in the comedy world.

Before launching Real People, John Barbour was the original host of The Gong Show in 1976, preceding Chuck Barris. He also contributed as a writer and performer on the revived Laugh-In during 1977-78 and acted in popular TV series including Get Smart, Ironside, The Odd Couple, Sanford and Son, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and Breaking Bad.

The NBC series Real People, which aired from 1979 to 1985, was filmed before a live studio audience and showcased profiles of ordinary individuals with unique jobs or hobbies. The show quickly became a ratings success. Alongside Barbour, hosts included Sarah Purcell, Byron Allen, Skip Stephenson, Mark Russell, Peter Billingsley, and Fred Willard.

John Barbour endured a challenging early life after his father left the family. He dropped out of high school, ran away at age 15, and immigrated to the United States in the 1950s. Despite these hardships, he carved a multifaceted career in entertainment and television.

He expanded into television writing in the mid-1960s, contributing episodes to series such as My Mother the Car and Gomer Pyle: USMC. In 1970, he became the first host of KABC-TV’s AM Los Angeles, where he earned his first Emmy Award and drew attention for interviewing controversial figures like Muhammad Ali and Jane Fonda, known for their anti-Vietnam War activism.

In 1971, Barbour hosted a daytime talk show on KCBS-TV in Los Angeles. He later won multiple Emmy Awards as a "critic-at-large" on KNBC-TV, culminating in a total of five Emmys throughout his career.

Barbour also wrote, produced, and narrated the 1982 documentary Ernie Kovacs: Television’s Original Genius. He received critical acclaim in 1992 when his documentary The JFK Assassination: The Jim Garrison Tapes won best documentary at the San Sebastian Film Festival. This film examined the New Orleans district attorney’s investigation into President John F. Kennedy’s murder. Filmmaker Oliver Stone praised it as "the perfect companion piece to my movie JFK."

Continuing his work on the JFK assassination, Barbour wrote and directed a sequel in 2017 titled The American Media and the Second Assassination of John F. Kennedy. Two years later, he published his autobiography Your Mother's Not a Virgin: The Bumpy Life and Times of the Canadian Dropout Who Changed the Face of American TV!, offering an insider’s view of his unconventional journey in television.

John Barbour is survived by his wife, Sarita, and their son, Christopher. His legacy as a pioneering figure in television and documentary filmmaking remains influential.