Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story (1997)

Breaking the Surface is about the tough times Greg Louganis had on his way to becoming one of the world's top Olympic divers. Some topics discussed were Greg's childhood problems, his ... See full summary »

Director:

Steven Hilliard Stern

Writers:

Greg Louganis (book), Eric Marcus (book),

Stars:

Mario Lopez, Michael Murphy, Jeffrey Meek

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mario Lopez	...	Greg Louganis (as Mario López)
Michael Murphy	...	Pete Louganis
Jeffrey Meek	...	Tom Barrett
Rosemary Dunsmore	...	Frances Louganis
Aki Aleong	...	Dr. Sammy Lee
Bruce Weitz	...	Ron O'Brien
Patrick David	...	Young Greg Louganis
Megan Leitch	...	Megan
Jonathan Scarfe	...	Keith
Rafael Rojas III	...	Greg - age 9
Fulvio Cecere	...	John Anders
Gabrielle Miller	...	Despina
Kristina Krapic	...	Despina - age 11
Gregor Trpin	...	Scott
Andrew Francis	...	Bully Boy #1

Storyline

Breaking the Surface is about the tough times Greg Louganis had on his way to becoming one of the world's top Olympic divers. Some topics discussed were Greg's childhood problems, his homosexuality, and him contracting the HIV virus.

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Plot Keywords:

olympics | diving board | author appears in film | gay lead character | sick father | 

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Taglines:

It's the story of tremendous ups, and for the most part, very well executed downs.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Sport

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Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 March 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

I katarripsi ton record

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Green/Epstein Productions, USA Network Pictures, World International Network (WIN)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Actual footage of the 1976 Summer Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada, the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California, and the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea are used in the film. Actual footage of Greg Louganis diving at the Olympiads and audience reaction is also used in the film.

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Quotes

Frances Louganis: [to Greg about his dad] He was born an angry old man.

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Connections

Referenced in Wedding Daze (2006)

User Reviews

Brave...

When I was growing up, the networks had a biography of "somebody" going on almost every week. They were pretty decent, not blockbuster type stuff, from what I could remember, even though they were done on a shoestring budget. I learned much about folks through those. very informative which made up for much. But isn't that what these kind of TV movies are about? Today I caught The Greg Louganis Story on cable and it reminded me of those bio-pics.

It had to be something for Mr. Louganis to write a book about his life -- let alone do a film about the good and bad of it. There is not question that he is the best diver in United States History and worked as hard as heck to get that way - and that came though in this film. What also came through was his struggles - family, inner and just wanting to be loved while being professional and becoming a top grade athlete. I cannot tell you how sad it made me to see how some folks are just out to take advantage of others who work hard, and how devastating it became when Mr. Louganis was diagnosed with HIV. But the triumph came though the film as he did find a voice and let us all in on everything personal as well as professional.

Mario Lopez did a wonderful job in this film as well as Michael Murphy as his father. This is a TV movie about the trials of a superior athlete and his personal wins and failures as well. It was very brave of him to open himself to everyone but by doing so I am sure he has helped those who have the same struggles as well. Good TV Movie.