diff --git a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/SupervisorHierarchySpec.scala b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/SupervisorHierarchySpec.scala
index f9e9ab42b1..33387443bb 100644
--- a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/SupervisorHierarchySpec.scala
+++ b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/SupervisorHierarchySpec.scala
@@ -4,10 +4,16 @@
 
 package akka.actor
 
-import akka.testkit._
+import java.lang.Exception
 import java.util.concurrent.{ TimeUnit, CountDownLatch }
-import akka.dispatch.Await
+import scala.util.Random
+import scala.util.control.NoStackTrace
+import com.typesafe.config.{ ConfigFactory, Config }
+import SupervisorStrategy.{ Resume, Restart, Directive }
+import akka.dispatch.{ MessageDispatcher, DispatcherPrerequisites, DispatcherConfigurator, Dispatcher, Await }
 import akka.pattern.ask
+import akka.testkit._
+import akka.testkit.TestEvent.Mute
 import akka.util.Duration
 import akka.util.duration._
 
@@ -38,10 +44,350 @@ object SupervisorHierarchySpec {
       case "ping"  ⇒ sender ! "pong"
     }
   }
+
+  case class Event(msg: Any) { val time: Long = System.nanoTime }
+  case class ErrorLog(msg: String, log: Vector[Event])
+  case class Failure(directive: Directive, log: Vector[Event]) extends RuntimeException with NoStackTrace {
+    override def toString = "Failure(" + directive + ")"
+  }
+  val strategy = OneForOneStrategy() { case Failure(directive, _) ⇒ directive }
+
+  val config = ConfigFactory.parseString("""
+    hierarchy {
+      type = "akka.actor.SupervisorHierarchySpec$MyDispatcherConfigurator"
+    }
+    akka.loglevel = INFO
+    akka.actor.debug.fsm = on
+  """)
+
+  class MyDispatcherConfigurator(config: Config, prerequisites: DispatcherPrerequisites)
+    extends DispatcherConfigurator(config, prerequisites) {
+
+    private val instance: MessageDispatcher =
+      new Dispatcher(prerequisites,
+        config.getString("id"),
+        config.getInt("throughput"),
+        Duration(config.getNanoseconds("throughput-deadline-time"), TimeUnit.NANOSECONDS),
+        mailboxType,
+        configureExecutor(),
+        Duration(config.getMilliseconds("shutdown-timeout"), TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS)) {
+
+        override def suspend(cell: ActorCell): Unit = {
+          val a = cell.actor.asInstanceOf[Hierarchy]
+          a.log :+= Event("suspended")
+          super.suspend(cell)
+        }
+
+        override def resume(cell: ActorCell): Unit = {
+          val a = cell.actor.asInstanceOf[Hierarchy]
+          a.log :+= Event("resumed")
+          super.resume(cell)
+        }
+
+      }
+
+    override def dispatcher(): MessageDispatcher = instance
+  }
+
+  class Hierarchy(depth: Int, breadth: Int, listener: ActorRef) extends Actor {
+
+    override def preStart {
+      if (depth > 1)
+        for (_ ← 1 to breadth)
+          context.watch(context.actorOf(Props(new Hierarchy(depth - 1, breadth, listener)).withDispatcher("hierarchy")))
+      listener ! self
+    }
+    override def postRestart(cause: Throwable) {
+      cause match {
+        case Failure(_, l) ⇒ log = l
+      }
+      log :+= Event("restarted")
+    }
+
+    override def supervisorStrategy = strategy
+    override def preRestart(cause: Throwable, msg: Option[Any]): Unit = {
+      // do not scrap children
+    }
+
+    override def postStop {
+      if (failed || suspended) {
+        listener ! ErrorLog("not resumed (" + failed + ", " + suspended + ")", log)
+      }
+    }
+
+    var failed = false
+    var suspended = false
+    var log = Vector.empty[Event]
+    def check(msg: Any) = {
+      suspended = false
+      log :+= Event(msg)
+      if (failed) {
+        listener ! ErrorLog("processing message while failed", log)
+        failed = false
+        context stop self
+      }
+    }
+
+    def receive = new Receive {
+      val handler: Receive = {
+        case f @ Failure(Resume, _) ⇒ suspended = true; throw f.copy(log = log)
+        case f: Failure             ⇒ failed = true; throw f.copy(log = log)
+        case "ping"                 ⇒ Thread.sleep((Random.nextFloat * 1.03).toLong); sender ! "pong"
+        case Terminated(_)          ⇒ listener ! ErrorLog("terminating", log); context stop self
+      }
+      override def isDefinedAt(msg: Any) = handler.isDefinedAt(msg)
+      override def apply(msg: Any) = { check(msg); handler(msg) }
+    }
+  }
+
+  case class Work(n: Int)
+
+  sealed trait Action
+  case class Ping(ref: ActorRef) extends Action
+  case class Fail(ref: ActorRef, directive: Directive) extends Action
+
+  sealed trait State
+  case object Idle extends State
+  case object Init extends State
+  case object Stress extends State
+  case object Finishing extends State
+  case object LastPing extends State
+  case object Stopping extends State
+  case object Failed extends State
+
+  /*
+   * This stress test will construct a supervision hierarchy of configurable
+   * depth and breadth and then randomly fail and check its actors. The actors
+   * perform certain checks internally (verifying that they do not run when
+   * suspended, for example), and they are checked for health by the test 
+   * procedure.
+   * 
+   * Execution happens in phases (which is the reason for FSM):
+   * 
+   * Idle:
+   * - upon reception of Init message, construct hierary and go to Init state
+   * 
+   * Init:
+   * - receive refs of all contained actors
+   * 
+   * Stress:
+   * - deal out actions (Fail or "ping"), keeping the hierarchy busy
+   * - whenever all actors are in the "pinged" list (i.e. have not yet
+   *   answered with a "pong"), delay processing of the next Work() by
+   *   100 millis
+   * - when receiving a Work() while all actors are "pinged", stop the
+   *   hierarchy and go to the Stopping state
+   * 
+   * Finishing:
+   * - after dealing out the last action, wait for the outstanding "pong"
+   *   messages
+   * - when last "pong" is received, goto LastPing state
+   * - upon state timeout, stop the hierarchy and go to the Failed state
+   * 
+   * LastPing:
+   * - upon entering this state, send a "ping" to all actors
+   * - when last "pong" is received, goto Stopping state
+   * - upon state timeout, stop the hierarchy and go to the Failed state
+   * 
+   * Stopping:
+   * - upon entering this state, stop the hierarchy
+   * - upon termination of the hierarchy send back successful result
+   * 
+   * Whenever an ErrorLog is received, goto Failed state
+   * 
+   * Failed:
+   * - accumulate ErrorLog messages
+   * - upon termination of the hierarchy send back failed result and print
+   *   the logs, merged and in chronological order.
+   * 
+   * TODO RK: also test Stop directive, and keep a complete list of all 
+   * actors ever created, then verify after stop()ping the hierarchy that
+   * all are terminated, transfer them to a WeakHashMap and verify that 
+   * they are indeed GCed
+   * 
+   * TODO RK: make hierarchy construction stochastic so that it includes
+   * different breadth (including the degenerate breadth-1 case).
+   * 
+   * TODO RK: also test Escalate by adding an exception with a `var depth`
+   * which gets decremented within the supervisor and gets handled when zero
+   * is reached (Restart resolution)
+   * 
+   * TODO RK: also test exceptions during recreate
+   * 
+   * TODO RK: also test recreate including terminating children
+   */
+
+  class StressTest(testActor: ActorRef, depth: Int, breadth: Int) extends Actor with LoggingFSM[State, Null] {
+    import context.system
+
+    override def supervisorStrategy = strategy
+
+    var children = Vector.empty[ActorRef]
+    var idleChildren = Vector.empty[ActorRef]
+    var pingChildren = Set.empty[ActorRef]
+
+    val nextJob = Iterator.continually(Random.nextFloat match {
+      case x if x > 0.5 ⇒
+        // ping one child
+        val pick = ((x - 0.5) * 2 * idleChildren.size).toInt
+        val ref = idleChildren(pick)
+        idleChildren = idleChildren.take(pick) ++ idleChildren.drop(pick + 1)
+        pingChildren += ref
+        Ping(ref)
+      case x ⇒
+        // fail one child
+        val pick = ((if (x > 0.25) x - 0.25 else x) * 4 * children.size).toInt
+        Fail(children(pick), if (x > 0.25) Restart else Resume)
+    })
+
+    val familySize = ((1 - BigInt(breadth).pow(depth)) / (1 - breadth)).toInt
+    var hierarchy: ActorRef = _
+
+    override def preRestart(cause: Throwable, msg: Option[Any]) {
+      throw new ActorKilledException("I want to DIE")
+    }
+
+    override def postRestart(cause: Throwable) {
+      throw new ActorKilledException("I said I wanted to DIE, dammit!")
+    }
+
+    override def postStop {
+      testActor ! "stressTestStopped"
+    }
+
+    startWith(Idle, null)
+
+    when(Idle) {
+      case Event(Init, _) ⇒
+        hierarchy = context.watch(context.actorOf(Props(new Hierarchy(depth, breadth, self)).withDispatcher("hierarchy")))
+        setTimer("phase", StateTimeout, 5 seconds, false)
+        goto(Init)
+    }
+
+    when(Init) {
+      case Event(ref: ActorRef, _) ⇒
+        if (idleChildren.nonEmpty || pingChildren.nonEmpty)
+          throw new IllegalStateException("received unexpected child " + children.size)
+        children :+= ref
+        if (children.size == familySize) {
+          idleChildren = children
+          goto(Stress)
+        } else stay
+      case Event(StateTimeout, _) ⇒
+        testActor ! "only got %d out of %d refs".format(children.size, familySize)
+        stop()
+    }
+
+    onTransition {
+      case Init -> Stress ⇒
+        self ! Work(familySize * 1000)
+        // set timeout for completion of the whole test (i.e. including Finishing and Stopping)
+        setTimer("phase", StateTimeout, 60 seconds, false)
+    }
+
+    val workSchedule = 250.millis
+
+    when(Stress) {
+      case Event(w: Work, _) if idleChildren.isEmpty ⇒
+        context stop hierarchy
+        goto(Failed)
+      case Event(Work(x), _) if x > 0 ⇒
+        nextJob.next match {
+          case Ping(ref)      ⇒ ref ! "ping"
+          case Fail(ref, dir) ⇒ ref ! Failure(dir, Vector.empty)
+        }
+        if (idleChildren.nonEmpty) self ! Work(x - 1)
+        else context.system.scheduler.scheduleOnce(workSchedule, self, Work(x - 1))
+        stay
+      case Event(Work(_), _) ⇒ if (pingChildren.isEmpty) goto(LastPing) else goto(Finishing)
+      case Event("pong", _) ⇒
+        pingChildren -= sender
+        idleChildren :+= sender
+        stay
+    }
+
+    when(Finishing) {
+      case Event("pong", _) ⇒
+        pingChildren -= sender
+        idleChildren :+= sender
+        if (pingChildren.isEmpty) goto(LastPing) else stay
+    }
+
+    onTransition {
+      case _ -> LastPing ⇒
+        idleChildren foreach (_ ! "ping")
+        pingChildren ++= idleChildren
+        idleChildren = Vector.empty
+    }
+
+    when(LastPing) {
+      case Event("pong", _) ⇒
+        pingChildren -= sender
+        idleChildren :+= sender
+        if (pingChildren.isEmpty) goto(Stopping) else stay
+    }
+
+    onTransition {
+      case _ -> Stopping ⇒ context stop hierarchy
+    }
+
+    when(Stopping, stateTimeout = 5 seconds) {
+      case Event(Terminated(r), _) if r == hierarchy ⇒
+        testActor ! "stressTestSuccessful"
+        stop
+      case Event(StateTimeout, _) ⇒
+        testActor ! "timeout in Stopping"
+        stop
+    }
+
+    var errors = Vector.empty[(ActorRef, ErrorLog)]
+
+    when(Failed, stateTimeout = 5 seconds) {
+      case Event(e: ErrorLog, _) ⇒
+        errors :+= sender -> e
+        stay
+      case Event(Terminated(r), _) if r == hierarchy ⇒
+        printErrors()
+        testActor ! "stressTestFailed"
+        stop
+      case Event(StateTimeout, _) ⇒
+        printErrors()
+        testActor ! "timeout in Failed"
+        stop
+      case Event("pong", _) ⇒ stay // don’t care?
+    }
+
+    def printErrors(): Unit = {
+      val merged = errors flatMap {
+        case (ref, ErrorLog(msg, log)) ⇒
+          println(ref + " " + msg)
+          log map (l ⇒ (l.time, ref, l.msg.toString))
+      }
+      merged.sorted foreach println
+    }
+
+    whenUnhandled {
+      case Event(e: ErrorLog, _) ⇒
+        errors :+= sender -> e
+        // don’t stop the hierarchy, that is going to happen all by itself and in the right order
+        goto(Failed)
+      case Event(StateTimeout, _) ⇒
+        println("pingChildren:\n" + pingChildren.mkString("\n"))
+        context stop hierarchy
+        goto(Failed)
+      case Event(msg, _) ⇒
+        testActor ! ("received unexpected msg: " + msg)
+        stop
+    }
+
+    initialize
+
+  }
+
 }
 
 @org.junit.runner.RunWith(classOf[org.scalatest.junit.JUnitRunner])
-class SupervisorHierarchySpec extends AkkaSpec with DefaultTimeout with ImplicitSender {
+class SupervisorHierarchySpec extends AkkaSpec(SupervisorHierarchySpec.config) with DefaultTimeout with ImplicitSender {
   import SupervisorHierarchySpec._
 
   "A Supervisor Hierarchy" must {
@@ -132,6 +478,25 @@ class SupervisorHierarchySpec extends AkkaSpec with DefaultTimeout with Implicit
       latch.countDown()
       expectMsg("pong")
     }
+
+    "survive being stressed" in {
+      system.eventStream.publish(Mute(EventFilter[Failure]()))
+      system.eventStream.publish(Mute(EventFilter.warning(start = "received dead letter")))
+
+      val fsm = system.actorOf(Props(new StressTest(testActor, 6, 3)), "stressTest")
+
+      fsm ! FSM.SubscribeTransitionCallBack(system.actorOf(Props(new Actor {
+        def receive = {
+          case s: FSM.CurrentState[_] ⇒ log.info("{}", s)
+          case t: FSM.Transition[_]   ⇒ log.info("{}", t)
+        }
+      })))
+
+      fsm ! Init
+
+      expectMsg(70 seconds, "stressTestSuccessful")
+      expectMsg("stressTestStopped")
+    }
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/SupervisorSpec.scala b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/SupervisorSpec.scala
index 3db5b5b5dc..ba0314714e 100644
--- a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/SupervisorSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/SupervisorSpec.scala
@@ -349,7 +349,8 @@ class SupervisorSpec extends AkkaSpec with BeforeAndAfterEach with ImplicitSende
             throw e
         }
       })
-      val dyingActor = Await.result((supervisor ? dyingProps).mapTo[ActorRef], timeout.duration)
+      supervisor ! dyingProps
+      val dyingActor = expectMsgType[ActorRef]
 
       filterEvents(EventFilter[RuntimeException]("Expected", occurrences = 1),
         EventFilter[IllegalStateException]("error while creating actor", occurrences = 1)) {
@@ -358,7 +359,8 @@ class SupervisorSpec extends AkkaSpec with BeforeAndAfterEach with ImplicitSende
           }
         }
 
-      Await.result(dyingActor.?(Ping)(DilatedTimeout), DilatedTimeout) must be === PongMessage
+      dyingActor ! Ping
+      expectMsg(PongMessage)
 
       inits.get must be(3)
 
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorCell.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorCell.scala
index c5d2afb3fa..7931e5428e 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorCell.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorCell.scala
@@ -682,6 +682,11 @@ private[akka] class ActorCell(
     // prevent any further messages to be processed until the actor has been restarted
     dispatcher.suspend(this)
     if (actor ne null) actor.supervisorStrategy.handleSupervisorFailing(self, children)
+    // now we may just have suspended the poor guy which made us fail by way of Escalate, so adjust the score
+    currentMessage match {
+      case Envelope(Failed(`t`), child) ⇒ child.asInstanceOf[InternalActorRef].resume()
+      case _                            ⇒
+    }
   } finally {
     t match { // Wrap InterruptedExceptions and rethrow
       case _: InterruptedException ⇒ parent.tell(Failed(new ActorInterruptedException(t)), self); throw t
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/Mailbox.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/Mailbox.scala
index 25fc0250af..d66b16cc27 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/Mailbox.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/Mailbox.scala
@@ -23,12 +23,16 @@ private[akka] object Mailbox {
    * the following assigned numbers CANNOT be changed without looking at the code which uses them!
    */
 
-  // primary status: only first three
+  // primary status
   final val Open = 0 // _status is not initialized in AbstractMailbox, so default must be zero! Deliberately without type ascription to make it a compile-time constant
-  final val Suspended = 1 // Deliberately without type ascription to make it a compile-time constant
-  final val Closed = 2 // Deliberately without type ascription to make it a compile-time constant
+  final val Closed = 1 // Deliberately without type ascription to make it a compile-time constant
   // secondary status: Scheduled bit may be added to Open/Suspended
-  final val Scheduled = 4 // Deliberately without type ascription to make it a compile-time constant
+  final val Scheduled = 2 // Deliberately without type ascription to make it a compile-time constant
+  // shifted by 2: the suspend count!
+  final val shouldScheduleMask = 3
+  final val shouldProcessMask = ~2
+  final val suspendMask = ~3
+  final val suspendUnit = 4
 
   // mailbox debugging helper using println (see below)
   // since this is a compile-time constant, scalac will elide code behind if (Mailbox.debug) (RK checked with 2.9.1)
@@ -78,10 +82,10 @@ private[akka] abstract class Mailbox(val actor: ActorCell, val messageQueue: Mes
   final def status: Mailbox.Status = Unsafe.instance.getIntVolatile(this, AbstractMailbox.mailboxStatusOffset)
 
   @inline
-  final def shouldProcessMessage: Boolean = (status & 3) == Open
+  final def shouldProcessMessage: Boolean = (status & shouldProcessMask) == 0
 
   @inline
-  final def isSuspended: Boolean = (status & 3) == Suspended
+  final def isSuspended: Boolean = (status & suspendMask) != 0
 
   @inline
   final def isClosed: Boolean = status == Closed
@@ -100,21 +104,30 @@ private[akka] abstract class Mailbox(val actor: ActorCell, val messageQueue: Mes
   /**
    * set new primary status Open. Caller does not need to worry about whether
    * status was Scheduled or not.
+   *
+   * @returns true if the suspend count reached zero
    */
   @tailrec
   final def becomeOpen(): Boolean = status match {
     case Closed ⇒ setStatus(Closed); false
-    case s      ⇒ updateStatus(s, Open | s & Scheduled) || becomeOpen()
+    case s ⇒
+      val next = if (s < suspendUnit) s else s - suspendUnit
+      if (updateStatus(s, next)) next < suspendUnit
+      else becomeOpen()
   }
 
   /**
    * set new primary status Suspended. Caller does not need to worry about whether
    * status was Scheduled or not.
+   *
+   * @returns true if the previous suspend count was zero
    */
   @tailrec
   final def becomeSuspended(): Boolean = status match {
     case Closed ⇒ setStatus(Closed); false
-    case s      ⇒ updateStatus(s, Suspended | s & Scheduled) || becomeSuspended()
+    case s ⇒
+      if (updateStatus(s, s + suspendUnit)) s < suspendUnit
+      else becomeSuspended()
   }
 
   /**
@@ -135,11 +148,10 @@ private[akka] abstract class Mailbox(val actor: ActorCell, val messageQueue: Mes
     val s = status
     /*
      * only try to add Scheduled bit if pure Open/Suspended, not Closed or with
-     * Scheduled bit already set (this is one of the reasons why the numbers
-     * cannot be changed in object Mailbox above)
+     * Scheduled bit already set
      */
-    if (s <= Suspended) updateStatus(s, s | Scheduled) || setAsScheduled()
-    else false
+    if ((s & shouldScheduleMask) != Open) false
+    else updateStatus(s, s | Scheduled) || setAsScheduled()
   }
 
   /**
@@ -148,12 +160,6 @@ private[akka] abstract class Mailbox(val actor: ActorCell, val messageQueue: Mes
   @tailrec
   final def setAsIdle(): Boolean = {
     val s = status
-    /*
-     * only try to remove Scheduled bit if currently Scheduled, not Closed or
-     * without Scheduled bit set (this is one of the reasons why the numbers
-     * cannot be changed in object Mailbox above)
-     */
-
     updateStatus(s, s & ~Scheduled) || setAsIdle()
   }