Kevin Bacon says "dirty" sex is the key to a successful marriage.

The 'X-Men: First Class' actor married wife Kyra Sedgwick in 1998 and while he admits they have experienced hard times, he says it's important to work your relationship and have a healthy love life.

Kevin - who has two children, Travis, 21, and 19-year-old Sosie with Kyra - said: "She (Kyra) got pregnant on our honeymoon, my mother died of cancer. It was a crazy time. I took 'Tremors' because I felt enormous pressure to support what was now a family. She was 21. I was 30, but like a kid. It was a real rite of passage. Any marriage is hard work, but what I always say is, 'Keep the fights clean and the sex dirty.' "

The 52-year-old actor also revealed he has told his wife not to get too depressed when he eventually dies because he has really enjoyed his life.

He told The Times newspaper: "I said to my wife recently, 'When I die be sad, but don't be sad for too long because I've had a good life.' "

Although he has been contemplating his own mortality, Kevin still wants to work as much as he can for the foreseeable future because his career is important to him.

He said: "I am a restless spirit with a restless mind. I'm still hungry for roles. I have great moments of fulfilment with my wife and children, a walk in the woods with my dogs, but I'm still chasing it. It's a Vagabond lifestyle. My suitcase is always sitting there."