| Image Upright: | 1.0 |
| Director: | Steven Hilliard Stern |
| Starring: | Mario Lopez Michael Murphy |
| Music: | Richard Bellis |
| Country: | Canada |
| Language: | English |
| Producer: | Mark Bacino |
| Executive Producer: | Allen S. Epstein Jim Green |
| Editor: | Peter Svab |
| Cinematography: | Michael Slovis |
| Runtime: | 95 minutes |
Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story is a 1997 television film about diver Greg Louganis based on the 1996 best-selling book Breaking the Surface co-written by Greg Louganis and Eric Marcus that stayed on top of the New York Times Best Seller list for 5 weeks.[1] [2] This was Steven Hilliard Stern's final directed film before dying in 2018.
In Seoul, 1988, Greg Louganis (played by Mario Lopez) hits the diving board while plunging towards the water cutting his head open. Splashing into the water Greg begins to have flashbacks: as a young kid being ridiculed by neighborhood bullies; his adoptive father (played by Michael Murphy) is not accepting and overbearing; winning the silver medal; the 1982 world championship; two gold medals in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles; the struggles of an abusive relationship with Tom Barrett; his father's terminal cancer; Tom's losing battle with AIDS and Greg's own HIV positive status. After doctors in Seoul stitch Greg's head wound, he returns to competition and picks up two more gold medals. After his father's death and Tom's lost AIDS' battle, Greg decides to come out and go public with every aspect of his life as a gay athlete.
Mario López was nominated for an ALMA Award for "Outstanding Individual Performance in a Made-for-Television Movie or Mini-Series in a Crossover Role".