( CNN ) -- Trying to answer the question `` Who am I ? '' is a tricky undertaking . I tend to despise labels , but it 's probably helpful to have some idea of who you perceive yourself to be and how others perceive you . It seems logical that you can examine this question from many angles : where you fit in statistically , physically , economically , spiritually , geographically , educationally and in so many other ways . When I was a boy , my Cal Tech-educated father , an engineer and lawyer , used to tell me I was made up of nine dollars and 73 cents worth of chemicals and minerals . I 'm fairly certain he was joking , but I think he was also trying to get me to consider the duality of humans , as both significant and insignificant . He certainly caused me to ponder who and what I am . I grew up in many regions of the United States , and I 'm a member of that particular `` baby boomer '' generation that came of age in the 1960s , so many things define me . I 'm still guilty of believing that `` Love is all you need , '' although I usually keep that to myself . Without pretending to be all-encompassing , a few things pop to the front of my mind when I consider who I am . I 'm a human being , a presumably sentient being , living in the 21st century . I 'm one of the fortunate who lives in the United States with good health and health care , a great job , a close family , good friends and , thanks to my wife , a beautiful home . As a citizen of this country , I 'm also a taxpayer , a consumer of many things and , I hope , someone who gives back something and is n't too voracious in his consumption . I love my job acting on a TV show , and I value the people I work with . I 'm an imperfect but fairly responsive husband , father , brother , cousin , nephew , friend , co-worker and acquaintance . I 'm also a survivor and a person with a disability . I became disabled in 1978 when I lost both legs in a freeway accident . An 18-wheeler truck hit me , and my car 's gas tank blew up , leaving me burned over 60 percent of my body . I spent several months in a hospital and learned to walk on two prosthetic limbs . I 've gone on to success in my career in radio and as an actor and musician . I used to hate the word `` disability , '' but I 've come to embrace the fact that I 'm one of more than 58 million Americans with some kind of physical or learning disability . As anyone who 's been there will attest , it 's difficult at first to be `` different , '' whatever that means to you . Discrimination is usually directed at people who are seen as the `` other . '' I 've experienced that in my life , but not to an overwhelming degree . Working my way through my career and my life has been challenging but interesting . The obstacles I 've faced have helped to shape me and make me who I am today . Along with my parents and teachers , my experience with disability has been a great learning tool . It 's helped me to begin to answer the question `` Who am I ? '' So , at the risk of sounding self-absorbed , I 'm Robert David Hall , Caucasian male , early 60s , pretty strong for my age , of Irish-Welsh-Scots heritage , proud of my grandfather , Robert A . Hall , Naval Academy , class of 1912 ; my father , Robert F. Hall , very smart man and decorated WWII naval officer ; my mother , Mary Martha Davies , mother of five who encouraged me in the arts and died at 47 ; and almost all my relatives . I 'm college educated ( UCLA ) , a decent guitar player and songwriter , a pretty fair actor , an AK/BK double leg amputee and a guy who values his friends . I hope to use my remaining days being creative with acting and music , traveling and helping to create more opportunities for people with disabilities . All that aside , my greatest joy in life -- my `` who I am '' constant -- is being the father of Andrew and the husband of Judy .
Robert David Hall hates to admit it , but he still believes that `` Love is all you need '' Hall says he 's a husband , father , brother , cousin , nephew , friend , co-worker . He says his disability , walking on prosthetic limbs , helped him find himself . His greatest joy is being the father of Andrew and husband of Judy .