diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorSystem.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorSystem.scala
index 3e9a0a91f4..e375f29e4b 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorSystem.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorSystem.scala
@@ -287,9 +287,13 @@ class ActorSystemImpl(val name: String, applicationConfig: Config) extends Actor
 
   protected def systemImpl = this
 
+  @inline private def askAndAwait(actorRef: ActorRef, message: Any)(implicit timeout: akka.util.Timeout): Any = {
+    Await.result(Futures.ask(actorRef, message), timeout.duration)
+  }
+
   private[akka] def systemActorOf(props: Props, name: String): ActorRef = {
     implicit val timeout = settings.CreationTimeout
-    Await.result(Futures.ask(systemGuardian, CreateChild(props, name)), timeout.duration) match {
+    askAndAwait(systemGuardian, CreateChild(props, name)) match {
       case ref: ActorRef ⇒ ref
       case ex: Exception ⇒ throw ex
     }
@@ -297,7 +301,7 @@ class ActorSystemImpl(val name: String, applicationConfig: Config) extends Actor
 
   def actorOf(props: Props, name: String): ActorRef = {
     implicit val timeout = settings.CreationTimeout
-    Await.result(Futures.ask(guardian, CreateChild(props, name)), timeout.duration) match {
+    askAndAwait(guardian, CreateChild(props, name)) match {
       case ref: ActorRef ⇒ ref
       case ex: Exception ⇒ throw ex
     }
@@ -305,7 +309,7 @@ class ActorSystemImpl(val name: String, applicationConfig: Config) extends Actor
 
   def actorOf(props: Props): ActorRef = {
     implicit val timeout = settings.CreationTimeout
-    Await.result(Futures.ask(guardian, CreateRandomNameChild(props)), timeout.duration) match {
+    askAndAwait(guardian, CreateRandomNameChild(props)) match {
       case ref: ActorRef ⇒ ref
       case ex: Exception ⇒ throw ex
     }
@@ -317,8 +321,8 @@ class ActorSystemImpl(val name: String, applicationConfig: Config) extends Actor
     val guard = guardian.path
     val sys = systemGuardian.path
     path.parent match {
-      case `guard` ⇒ Await.result(Futures.ask(guardian, StopChild(actor)), timeout.duration)
-      case `sys`   ⇒ Await.result(Futures.ask(systemGuardian, StopChild(actor)), timeout.duration)
+      case `guard` ⇒ askAndAwait(guardian, StopChild(actor))
+      case `sys`   ⇒ askAndAwait(systemGuardian, StopChild(actor))
       case _       ⇒ actor.asInstanceOf[InternalActorRef].stop()
     }
   }
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/package.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/package.scala
index 0b06470c79..cedc7befd7 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/package.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/package.scala
@@ -41,4 +41,26 @@ package object actor {
     }
   }
 
+  // Implicit for converting a Promise to an actor.
+  // Symmetric to the future2actor conversion, which allows
+  // piping a Future result (read side) to an Actor's mailbox, this
+  // conversion allows using an Actor to complete a Promise (write side)
+  //
+  // Future.ask / actor ? message is now a trivial implementation that can
+  // also be done in user code (assuming actorRef, timeout and dispatcher implicits):
+  //
+  // Future.ask(actor, message) = {
+  //   val promise = Promise[Any]()
+  //   actor ! (message, promise)
+  //   promise
+  // }
+
+  @inline implicit def promise2actor(promise: akka.dispatch.Promise[Any])(implicit actorRef: ActorRef, timeout: akka.util.Timeout) = {
+    val provider = actorRef.asInstanceOf[InternalActorRef].provider
+    provider.ask(promise, timeout) match {
+      case Some(ref) ⇒ ref
+      case None      ⇒ null
+    }
+  }
+
 }
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/Future.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/Future.scala
index fc4225600d..6eb408fd7a 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/Future.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/Future.scala
@@ -55,14 +55,10 @@ object Await {
 object Futures {
 
   def ask(actor: ActorRef, message: Any)(implicit timeout: Timeout): Future[Any] = {
-    val provider = actor.asInstanceOf[InternalActorRef].provider
-    val promise = Promise[Any]()(provider.dispatcher)
-    provider.ask(promise, timeout) match {
-      case Some(a) ⇒
-        actor.!(message)(a)
-      case None ⇒
-        actor.!(message)(null)
-    }
+    implicit val dispatcher = actor.asInstanceOf[InternalActorRef].provider.dispatcher
+    implicit val actorRefContext = actor // for promise2actor implicit conversion
+    val promise = Promise[Any]()
+    actor.!(message)(promise)
     promise
   }
 
diff --git a/akka-docs/java/code/akka/docs/transactor/TransactorDocTest.java b/akka-docs/java/code/akka/docs/transactor/TransactorDocTest.java
index e6b45f675c..75fa92cd8f 100644
--- a/akka-docs/java/code/akka/docs/transactor/TransactorDocTest.java
+++ b/akka-docs/java/code/akka/docs/transactor/TransactorDocTest.java
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import org.junit.Test;
 //#imports
 import akka.actor.*;
 import akka.dispatch.Await;
+import static akka.dispatch.Futures.ask;
 import akka.transactor.Coordinated;
 import akka.util.Duration;
 import akka.util.Timeout;
@@ -30,7 +31,7 @@ public class TransactorDocTest {
 
         counter1.tell(new Coordinated(new Increment(counter2), timeout));
 
-        Integer count = (Integer) Await.result(counter1.ask("GetCount", timeout), timeout.duration());
+        Integer count = (Integer) Await.result(ask(counter1, "GetCount", timeout), timeout.duration());
         //#coordinated-example
 
         assertEquals(count, new Integer(1));
@@ -71,7 +72,7 @@ public class TransactorDocTest {
         counter.tell(coordinated.coordinate(new Increment()));
         coordinated.await();
 
-        Integer count = (Integer) Await.result(counter.ask("GetCount", timeout), timeout.duration());
+        Integer count = (Integer) Await.result(ask(counter, "GetCount", timeout), timeout.duration());
         assertEquals(count, new Integer(1));
 
         system.shutdown();
@@ -88,10 +89,10 @@ public class TransactorDocTest {
         friendlyCounter.tell(coordinated.coordinate(new Increment(friend)));
         coordinated.await();
 
-        Integer count1 = (Integer) Await.result(friendlyCounter.ask("GetCount", timeout), timeout.duration());
+        Integer count1 = (Integer) Await.result(ask(friendlyCounter, "GetCount", timeout), timeout.duration());
         assertEquals(count1, new Integer(1));
 
-        Integer count2 = (Integer) Await.result(friend.ask("GetCount", timeout), timeout.duration());
+        Integer count2 = (Integer) Await.result(ask(friend, "GetCount", timeout), timeout.duration());
         assertEquals(count2, new Integer(1));
 
         system.shutdown();
diff --git a/akka-transactor/src/test/java/akka/transactor/UntypedCoordinatedIncrementTest.java b/akka-transactor/src/test/java/akka/transactor/UntypedCoordinatedIncrementTest.java
index 7fce881b2c..267cf261b7 100644
--- a/akka-transactor/src/test/java/akka/transactor/UntypedCoordinatedIncrementTest.java
+++ b/akka-transactor/src/test/java/akka/transactor/UntypedCoordinatedIncrementTest.java
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import akka.actor.UntypedActor;
 import akka.actor.UntypedActorFactory;
 import akka.dispatch.Await;
 import akka.dispatch.Future;
+import static akka.dispatch.Futures.ask;
 import akka.testkit.AkkaSpec;
 import akka.testkit.EventFilter;
 import akka.testkit.ErrorFilter;
@@ -80,7 +81,7 @@ public class UntypedCoordinatedIncrementTest {
     } catch (InterruptedException exception) {
     }
     for (ActorRef counter : counters) {
-      Future<Object> future = counter.ask("GetCount", timeout);
+      Future<Object> future = ask(counter, "GetCount", timeout);
       int count = (Integer) Await.result(future, timeout.duration());
       assertEquals(1, count);
     }
@@ -102,7 +103,7 @@ public class UntypedCoordinatedIncrementTest {
     } catch (InterruptedException exception) {
     }
     for (ActorRef counter : counters) {
-      Future<Object>future = counter.ask("GetCount", timeout);
+      Future<Object>future = ask(counter, "GetCount", timeout);
       int count = (Integer) Await.result(future, timeout.duration());
       assertEquals(0, count);
     }
diff --git a/akka-transactor/src/test/java/akka/transactor/UntypedTransactorTest.java b/akka-transactor/src/test/java/akka/transactor/UntypedTransactorTest.java
index 9e2cf39f8d..3c80d659cf 100644
--- a/akka-transactor/src/test/java/akka/transactor/UntypedTransactorTest.java
+++ b/akka-transactor/src/test/java/akka/transactor/UntypedTransactorTest.java
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import akka.actor.UntypedActor;
 import akka.actor.UntypedActorFactory;
 import akka.dispatch.Await;
 import akka.dispatch.Future;
+import static akka.dispatch.Futures.ask;
 import akka.testkit.AkkaSpec;
 import akka.testkit.EventFilter;
 import akka.testkit.ErrorFilter;
@@ -81,7 +82,7 @@ public class UntypedTransactorTest {
     } catch (InterruptedException exception) {
     }
     for (ActorRef counter : counters) {
-      Future<Object> future = counter.ask("GetCount", timeout);
+      Future<Object> future = ask(counter, "GetCount", timeout);
       int count = (Integer) Await.result(future, timeout.duration());
       assertEquals(1, count);
     }
@@ -103,7 +104,7 @@ public class UntypedTransactorTest {
     } catch (InterruptedException exception) {
     }
     for (ActorRef counter : counters) {
-      Future<Object> future = counter.ask("GetCount", timeout);
+      Future<Object> future = ask(counter, "GetCount", timeout);
       int count = (Integer) Await.result(future, timeout.duration());
       assertEquals(0, count);
     }