Chris Hemsworth is taking a break from acting to spend time with family

After years channelling thunder as the formidable Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Chris Hemsworth is set to step away from acting for a while to focus on his family.

The 35-year-old star told the Sydney Daily Telegraph that he’s taking a break from Hollywood in order to watch his children grow up.

Hemsworth has three children with Spanish actor and model Elsa Pataky, whom he married in 2010.

Read more: Hemsworth underwhelmed by script for Star Trek return

Their daughter, India Rose, is now seven years old, while twin sons Sasha and Tristan are five.

“This year I probably won't shoot anything,” said Hemsworth. “I just want to be at home now with my kids.”

He added: "They are at a very important age. They are still young and they are aware when I leave more than before.”

Hemsworth will likely be spending much of his hard-earned break at the home he shares with his 42-year-old wife and their children in idyllic Byron Bay, Australia.

The actor has been working hard since the role of Thor catapulted him directly into the Hollywood A-list firmament in 2011.

Read more: Hemsworth ‘exhausted’ with Thor

He previously had a small role in the Star Trek reboot and appeared in 171 episodes of Aussie soap Home & Away between 2004 and 2007.

Since his breakout superhero appearance, he has been a blockbuster fixture, starring in movies such as Snow White and the Huntsman, Ghostbusters and Ron Howard’s In the Heart of the Sea.

He will next be seen alongside Thor: Ragnarok co-star Tessa Thompson in the sci-fi/comedy reboot Men in Black: International.

There are projects on the horizon for him, however, with a Netflix biopic of professional wrestling legend Hulk Hogan in development with his name attached.