The Irish star, who has hugely successful as hardman Bryan Mills in Taken franchise, says he will stop his ass-kicking roles before he reaches pension age

Liam Neeson (Image: Rex)

Liam Neeson has revealed he will quit playing the tough guy in action movies in two years.

The 62-year-old, who stars in new movie Run All Night, said he will call time on his ass-kicking roles before he reaches pension age.

In a US interview the Co Antrim man added: “Maybe two more years. If God spares me and I’m healthy.

“But after that, I’ll stop [the action] I think.”

The father of two, who shot to fame in heavy-hitting dramas including Schindler’s List and Michael Collins, became known to a new generation of film fans with 2008 action hit Taken.

Playing Bryan Mills, who fights to save his daughter from sex traffickers, the movie and its two sequels have grossed nearly €850million worldwide.

He has since starred in several other action roles including plane hijack thriller Non-Stop, Battleship and moody crime drama A Walk Among The Tombstones.

Neeson added: “Career-wise, I’m in a very great place. The success of certainly the Taken films, Hollywood sees me in a different light.

“I get sent quite a few action-oriented scripts, which is great. I’m not knocking it. It’s very flattering. But there is a limit, of course.

“If I feel audiences saying, ‘Come on, he’s 62, enough is enough,’ I’m very sensitive to that and if I pick up that vibe it will all stop and I’ll start playing dads or grandfathers.

“But I keep myself pretty fit and my knees are still great. And it’s fun.”

Meanwhile, the New York-based actor has joined forces with Tourism Ireland to wish the world a Happy Saint Patrick’s Day.

The agency launched a new 60-second film featuring Neeson’s dulcet tones, to encourage people around the world to #GoGreen4PatricksDay and come and visit Ireland this year.

The film includes fabulous footage shot around Ireland and wonderful images from Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening initiative, which sees famous landmarks and iconic sites illuminated in green to mark the big day.