Nils Oliveto is a Canadian actor, director, producer, screenwriter, motivational speaker and TV sports broadcaster.
Early life
Nils Oliveto grew up on the South Shore of Montreal. He was actively involved in theatre and improvisation, but his passion was into sports, where he played volleyball and soccer at Royal George High School in Greenfield Park. At 16, he began training seriously as a track and field athlete, and started getting national attention in both the discus and the hammer throw. After graduating from Royal George as the co-president of the Student Council and winning the Athlete of the Year award, he attended Champlain College Saint-Lambert under the tutor of former Czechoslovakian weight-lifting Olympic coach Dr. Emil Muller. In 1993, he earned a spot on the Canadian Jr. National Track and Field Team as a hammer thrower. After completing a degree in Pure and Applied Science in 1995 from Champlain College, Oliveto was offered a track scholarship at the University of Oklahoma. From 1995 to 2000, Oliveto traveled all over North-America, Europe, and Africa, competing in major championships like the Canada Games, the Jeux de la Francophonie, and the Olympic Trials. With a measured IQ of 150, he graduated with both a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Science degree with a thesis research in performance periodization from OU. He was the University of Oklahoma record holder in the hammer throw, and is still the current all-time powerlifting record holder at Champlain College.
Acting / Filmmaking
The acting bug hit Nils when he was encouraged by a former drama high school teacher to pursue acting professionally. While in Oklahoma, he started studying acting and screenwriting with the OU Film Department, and later began working on local TV projects in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. In 2000, Nils moved to Los Angeles, where he jumped into the big leagues. He continued studying his craft in Burbank, California with top TV and film actors. Under the guidance of Jon Simmons, he continued studying his craft. He ended up working on major blockbusters like Windtalkers, Showtime, and Sorority Boys. He also appeared on the hit TV show Boston Public, starring Montreal born actress Jessalyn Gilsig. Nils is first and foremost a keen observer of human nature. Involved in several projects such as scientific articles dealing with periodization in exercise physiology, physical education teaching, applied kinesiology in clinical osteopathy, and stress management / visualisation / autogenic training for high performance, this artist-scientist brings an unconventional and thoughtful light to the actor’s job. These thoughts are therefore reflected in his approach to the stage, which is always rich and consistent. Through his production company HAMMERMAN FILMS, Nils produced, wrote, directed and starred in "The Cedar's Tears", a mystery thriller shot in Lebanon, Europe and Canada. The film was screened in North America, Europe, South Africa and Asia, with awards/nominations in Los Angeles, Ireland and Mexico film festivals. Nils Oliveto's second feature film, Duplicando premièred in Los Angeles at the Action on Film International Film Festival in August 2012. Exploring a "full narrative storytelling spectrum"; this drama genre gradually spins into an out-of-control absurd comedy flick. Nils received a nomination for best editing at the AOF 2012. The feature-film "For the Love of Poe" premièred in Montreal at the Festival des Films du Monde in August 2014. This project, with two separate original versions, tells the story of an ex-convict and a beloved fan of Edgar Allan Poe who is commissioned by a world-class smuggler to find three artefacts with supposedly supernatural powers dating back from Francisco Pizarro's conquest of the Incas in the 1500s. It was produced, written, directed by Nils Oliveto. He also played the lead character. In August 2017, Nils premiered Objects in Mirror are Closer than they Appear at Cinema Imperial in Montreal. It tells the story of a man attempts to free himself from a fragile emotional state after being dumped at the altar by his fiancée on his wedding day. Inspired by the long takes of legendary European director Chantal Akerman as well as the tatami shot of Japanese master Yasujiro Ozu, Oliveto's minimalist experimental contemplative cinema style seeks to explore the human emotion on an alienated character through unorthodox cinematic means. Nils Oliveto presented his first documentary feature in Montreal on September 2018. Icelander tells the story of a son looking for his father 20 years after his unexplained disappearance. It won 2nd prize in the Documentary of the World competition at the Montreal World Film Festival.
TV/Radio broadcasting
Nils Oliveto joined Radio-Canada Sport in 2017 as an Olympic sports analyst in track & field and winter sliding events. He covered the 2017 World Bobsleigh Championships, the 2017 World Championships of Athletics, the 2018 Winter Olympic Games and the 2019 World Championships of Athletics. He also periodically does radio shows discussing human performance and sports.
