diff --git a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/routing/RoutingSpec.scala b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/routing/RoutingSpec.scala
index fe490fdd0a..0fa5b8e017 100644
--- a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/routing/RoutingSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/routing/RoutingSpec.scala
@@ -7,11 +7,25 @@ import akka.testing._
 import akka.testing.Testing.{ sleepFor, testMillis }
 import akka.util.duration._
 
-import akka.actor.Actor
 import akka.actor.Actor._
 import akka.routing._
 
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger
+import akka.dispatch.{ KeptPromise, Future }
+import akka.actor.{ TypedActor, Actor }
+
+object RoutingSpec {
+  trait Foo {
+    def sq(x: Int, sleep: Long): Future[Int]
+  }
+
+  class FooImpl extends Foo {
+    def sq(x: Int, sleep: Long): Future[Int] = {
+      if (sleep > 0) Thread.sleep(sleep)
+      new KeptPromise(Right(x * x))
+    }
+  }
+}
 
 class RoutingSpec extends WordSpec with MustMatchers {
   import Routing._
@@ -491,6 +505,29 @@ class RoutingSpec extends WordSpec with MustMatchers {
 
       pool.stop()
     }
+
+    "support typed actors" in {
+      import RoutingSpec._
+      import TypedActor._
+      def createPool = new Actor with DefaultActorPool with BoundedCapacityStrategy with MailboxPressureCapacitor with SmallestMailboxSelector with Filter with RunningMeanBackoff with BasicRampup {
+        def lowerBound = 1
+        def upperBound = 5
+        def pressureThreshold = 1
+        def partialFill = true
+        def selectionCount = 1
+        def rampupRate = 0.1
+        def backoffRate = 0.50
+        def backoffThreshold = 0.50
+        def instance = getActorRefFor(typedActorOf[Foo, FooImpl]())
+        def receive = _route
+      }
+
+      val pool = createProxy[Foo](createPool)
+
+      val results = for (i ← 1 to 100) yield (i, pool.sq(i, 100))
+
+      for ((i, r) ← results) r.get must equal(i * i)
+    }
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/TypedActor.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/TypedActor.scala
index 52a6cf7622..e3c6c8e9e1 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/TypedActor.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/TypedActor.scala
@@ -13,26 +13,24 @@ import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference
 
 object TypedActor {
   private val selfReference = new ThreadLocal[AnyRef]
-  def self[T <: AnyRef] = selfReference.get.asInstanceOf[T]
 
-  trait TypedActor[Iface <: AnyRef, Impl <: Iface] { self: Actor ⇒
-    val proxyRef: AtomicReference[Iface]
-    def callMethod(methodCall: MethodCall): Unit
-    def receive: Receive = {
-      case m: MethodCall ⇒
-        selfReference set proxyRef.get
-        try { callMethod(m) } finally { selfReference set null }
-    }
+  def self[T <: AnyRef] = selfReference.get.asInstanceOf[T] match {
+    case null ⇒ throw new IllegalStateException("Calling TypedActor.self outside of a TypedActor implementation method!")
+    case some ⇒ some
   }
 
-  class DefaultTypedActor[Iface <: AnyRef, Impl <: Iface](
-    val proxyRef: AtomicReference[Iface], createInstance: ⇒ Impl) extends TypedActor[Iface, Impl] with Actor {
+  class TypedActor[R <: AnyRef, T <: R](val proxyRef: AtomicReference[R], createInstance: ⇒ T) extends Actor {
     val me = createInstance
     def callMethod(methodCall: MethodCall): Unit = methodCall match {
       case m if m.isOneWay        ⇒ m(me)
       case m if m.returnsFuture_? ⇒ self.senderFuture.get completeWith m(me).asInstanceOf[Future[Any]]
       case m                      ⇒ self reply m(me)
     }
+    def receive = {
+      case m: MethodCall ⇒
+        selfReference set proxyRef.get
+        try { callMethod(m) } finally { selfReference set null }
+    }
   }
 
   case class TypedActorInvocationHandler(actor: ActorRef) extends InvocationHandler {
@@ -81,42 +79,24 @@ object TypedActor {
     private def readResolve(): AnyRef = MethodCall(ownerType.getDeclaredMethod(methodName, parameterTypes: _*), parameterValues)
   }
 
-  def typedActorOf[T <: AnyRef, TI <: T](interface: Class[T], impl: Class[TI], config: Configuration): T =
-    newTypedActor(Array[Class[_]](interface), impl.newInstance, config, interface.getClassLoader)
+  def typedActorOf[R <: AnyRef, T <: R](interface: Class[R], impl: Class[T], config: Configuration): R =
+    createProxyAndTypedActor(interface, impl.newInstance, config, interface.getClassLoader)
 
-  def typedActorOf[T <: AnyRef, TI <: T](interface: Class[T], impl: Creator[TI], config: Configuration): T =
-    newTypedActor(Array[Class[_]](interface), impl.create, config, interface.getClassLoader)
+  def typedActorOf[R <: AnyRef, T <: R](interface: Class[R], impl: Creator[T], config: Configuration): R =
+    createProxyAndTypedActor(interface, impl.create, config, interface.getClassLoader)
 
-  def typedActorOf[T <: AnyRef, TI <: T](interface: Class[T], impl: Class[TI], config: Configuration, loader: ClassLoader): T =
-    newTypedActor(Array[Class[_]](interface), impl.newInstance, config, loader)
+  def typedActorOf[R <: AnyRef, T <: R](interface: Class[R], impl: Class[T], config: Configuration, loader: ClassLoader): R =
+    createProxyAndTypedActor(interface, impl.newInstance, config, loader)
 
-  def typedActorOf[T <: AnyRef, TI <: T](interface: Class[T], impl: Creator[TI], config: Configuration, loader: ClassLoader): T =
-    newTypedActor(Array[Class[_]](interface), impl.create, config, loader)
+  def typedActorOf[R <: AnyRef, T <: R](interface: Class[R], impl: Creator[T], config: Configuration, loader: ClassLoader): R =
+    createProxyAndTypedActor(interface, impl.create, config, loader)
 
   def typedActorOf[R <: AnyRef, T <: R](impl: Class[T], config: Configuration, loader: ClassLoader): R =
-    newTypedActor(impl.getInterfaces, impl.newInstance, config, loader)
+    createProxyAndTypedActor(impl, impl.newInstance, config, loader)
 
   def typedActorOf[R <: AnyRef, T <: R](config: Configuration = Configuration(), loader: ClassLoader = null)(implicit m: Manifest[T]): R = {
     val clazz = m.erasure.asInstanceOf[Class[T]]
-    newTypedActor(clazz.getInterfaces, clazz.newInstance, config, if (loader eq null) clazz.getClassLoader else loader)
-  }
-
-  private[akka] def newTypedActor[R <: AnyRef, T <: R](interfaces: Array[Class[_]], constructor: ⇒ T, config: Configuration, loader: ClassLoader): R =
-    newTypedActor[R, T](interfaces, (ref: AtomicReference[R]) ⇒ new DefaultTypedActor[R, T](ref, constructor), config, loader)
-
-  private[akka] def newTypedActor[R <: AnyRef, T <: R](interfaces: Array[Class[_]], constructor: (AtomicReference[R]) ⇒ TypedActor[R, T], config: Configuration, loader: ClassLoader): R = {
-    val proxyRef = new AtomicReference[R]
-    configureAndProxyLocalActorRef[R](interfaces, proxyRef, actorOf(constructor(proxyRef).asInstanceOf[Actor]), config, loader)
-  }
-
-  protected def configureAndProxyLocalActorRef[T <: AnyRef](interfaces: Array[Class[_]], proxyRef: AtomicReference[T], actor: ActorRef, config: Configuration, loader: ClassLoader): T = {
-    actor.timeout = config.timeout.toMillis
-    actor.dispatcher = config.dispatcher
-
-    val proxy: T = Proxy.newProxyInstance(loader, interfaces, new TypedActorInvocationHandler(actor)).asInstanceOf[T]
-    proxyRef.set(proxy) // Chicken and egg situation we needed to solve, set the proxy so that we can set the self-reference inside each receive
-    Actor.registry.registerTypedActor(actor.start, proxy) //We only have access to the proxy from the outside, so register it with the ActorRegistry, will be removed on actor.stop
-    proxy
+    createProxyAndTypedActor(clazz, clazz.newInstance, config, if (loader eq null) clazz.getClassLoader else loader)
   }
 
   def stop(typedActor: AnyRef): Boolean = getActorRefFor(typedActor) match {
@@ -134,4 +114,32 @@ object TypedActor {
   }
 
   def isTypedActor(typedActor_? : AnyRef): Boolean = getActorRefFor(typedActor_?) ne null
+
+  private[akka] def createProxyAndTypedActor[R <: AnyRef, T <: R](interface: Class[_], constructor: ⇒ T, config: Configuration, loader: ClassLoader): R =
+    createProxy[R](extractInterfaces(interface), (ref: AtomicReference[R]) ⇒ new TypedActor[R, T](ref, constructor), config, loader)
+
+  def createProxy[R <: AnyRef](constructor: ⇒ Actor, config: Configuration = Configuration(), loader: ClassLoader = null)(implicit m: Manifest[R]): R =
+    createProxy[R](extractInterfaces(m.erasure), (ref: AtomicReference[R]) ⇒ constructor, config, if (loader eq null) m.erasure.getClassLoader else loader)
+
+  def createProxy[R <: AnyRef](interfaces: Array[Class[_]], constructor: ⇒ Actor, config: Configuration, loader: ClassLoader): R =
+    createProxy[R](interfaces, (ref: AtomicReference[R]) ⇒ constructor, config, loader)
+
+  def createProxy[R <: AnyRef](interfaces: Array[Class[_]], constructor: (AtomicReference[R]) ⇒ Actor, config: Configuration, loader: ClassLoader): R = {
+    val proxyRef = new AtomicReference[R]
+    configureAndProxyLocalActorRef[R](interfaces, proxyRef, actorOf(constructor(proxyRef)), config, loader)
+  }
+
+  protected def configureAndProxyLocalActorRef[T <: AnyRef](interfaces: Array[Class[_]], proxyRef: AtomicReference[T], actor: ActorRef, config: Configuration, loader: ClassLoader): T = {
+    actor.timeout = config.timeout.toMillis
+    actor.dispatcher = config.dispatcher
+
+    val proxy: T = Proxy.newProxyInstance(loader, interfaces, new TypedActorInvocationHandler(actor)).asInstanceOf[T]
+    proxyRef.set(proxy) // Chicken and egg situation we needed to solve, set the proxy so that we can set the self-reference inside each receive
+    Actor.registry.registerTypedActor(actor.start, proxy) //We only have access to the proxy from the outside, so register it with the ActorRegistry, will be removed on actor.stop
+    proxy
+  }
+
+  private[akka] def extractInterfaces(clazz: Class[_]): Array[Class[_]] =
+    if (clazz.isInterface) Array[Class[_]](clazz)
+    else clazz.getInterfaces
 }
\ No newline at end of file