Paul Almond, a Canadian director whose television film “Seven Up!” examined the lives of a group of midcentury British children and became the basis of the documentary series that has followed them into middle age, died on Thursday in Beverly Hills, Calif. He was 83.

The cause was complications of a recent heart attack, his son, Matthew, said.

One of the most highly regarded documentaries of all time, the “Up” series, as it is collectively known, is most closely associated with Michael Apted, who directed all but the inaugural installment. But it was Mr. Almond who helped conceive that film, first shown on British television in 1964.

Forty minutes long and shot in black and white, “Seven Up!” examined the enduring British class system through the lives of 14 7-year-olds from across the socioeconomic spectrum. He can be heard asking the children — 10 boys and four girls — questions about family, love and adult aspirations.

Though the program was enthusiastically received by viewers and critics, it was intended as a one-off, and Mr. Almond later returned to Canada, where he had a successful career as a TV and film director and, in recent years, a novelist.