diff --git a/python/ray/actor.py b/python/ray/actor.py
index 78d3398bc..796650383 100644
--- a/python/ray/actor.py
+++ b/python/ray/actor.py
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import json
 import numpy as np
 import photon
 import random
+import traceback
 
 import ray.pickling as pickling
 import ray.worker
@@ -48,17 +49,37 @@ def get_actor_method_function_id(attr):
 
 def fetch_and_register_actor(key, worker):
   """Import an actor."""
-  driver_id, actor_id_str, actor_name, module, pickled_class, assigned_gpu_ids = \
-    worker.redis_client.hmget(key, ["driver_id", "actor_id", "name", "module", "class", "gpu_ids"])
+  driver_id, actor_id_str, actor_name, module, pickled_class, assigned_gpu_ids, actor_method_names = \
+    worker.redis_client.hmget(key, ["driver_id", "actor_id", "name", "module", "class", "gpu_ids", "actor_method_names"])
   actor_id = photon.ObjectID(actor_id_str)
   actor_name = actor_name.decode("ascii")
   module = module.decode("ascii")
+  actor_method_names = json.loads(actor_method_names.decode("ascii"))
   global gpu_ids
   gpu_ids = json.loads(assigned_gpu_ids.decode("ascii"))
+
+  # Create a temporary actor with some temporary methods so that if the actor
+  # fails to be unpickled, the temporary actor can be used (just to produce
+  # error messages and to prevent the driver from hanging).
+  class TemporaryActor(object):
+    pass
+  worker.actors[actor_id_str] = TemporaryActor()
+  def temporary_actor_method(*xs):
+    raise Exception("The actor with name {} failed to be imported, and so "
+                    "cannot execute this method".format(actor_name))
+  for actor_method_name in actor_method_names:
+    function_id = get_actor_method_function_id(actor_method_name).id()
+    worker.functions[driver_id][function_id] = (actor_method_name, temporary_actor_method)
+
   try:
     unpickled_class = pickling.loads(pickled_class)
-  except:
-    raise NotImplemented("TODO(pcm)")
+  except Exception:
+    # If an exception was thrown when the actor was imported, we record the
+    # traceback and notify the scheduler of the failure.
+    traceback_str = ray.worker.format_error_message(traceback.format_exc())
+    # Log the error message.
+    worker.push_error_to_driver(driver_id, "register_actor", traceback_str,
+                                data={"actor_id": actor_id.id()})
   else:
     # TODO(pcm): Why is the below line necessary?
     unpickled_class.__module__ = module
@@ -150,7 +171,8 @@ def export_actor(actor_id, Class, actor_method_names, num_cpus, num_gpus, worker
        "name": Class.__name__,
        "module": Class.__module__,
        "class": pickled_class,
-       "gpu_ids": json.dumps(gpu_ids)}
+       "gpu_ids": json.dumps(gpu_ids),
+       "actor_method_names": json.dumps(list(actor_method_names))}
   worker.redis_client.hmset(key, d)
   worker.redis_client.rpush("Exports", key)
 
@@ -178,7 +200,7 @@ def actor(*args, **kwargs):
         def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
           self._ray_actor_id = random_actor_id()
           self._ray_actor_methods = {k: v for (k, v) in inspect.getmembers(Class, predicate=(lambda x: inspect.isfunction(x) or inspect.ismethod(x)))}
-          export_actor(self._ray_actor_id, Class, self._ray_actor_methods, num_cpus, num_gpus, ray.worker.global_worker)
+          export_actor(self._ray_actor_id, Class, self._ray_actor_methods.keys(), num_cpus, num_gpus, ray.worker.global_worker)
           # Call __init__ as a remote function.
           if "__init__" in self._ray_actor_methods.keys():
             actor_method_call(self._ray_actor_id, "__init__", *args, **kwargs)
diff --git a/test/failure_test.py b/test/failure_test.py
index 07db58336..e504072ca 100644
--- a/test/failure_test.py
+++ b/test/failure_test.py
@@ -178,6 +178,62 @@ def temporary_helper_function():
 
     ray.worker.cleanup()
 
+  def testFailImportingActor(self):
+    ray.init(num_workers=2, driver_mode=ray.SILENT_MODE)
+
+    # Create the contents of a temporary Python file.
+    temporary_python_file = """
+def temporary_helper_function():
+  return 1
+"""
+
+    f = tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(suffix=".py")
+    f.write(temporary_python_file.encode("ascii"))
+    f.flush()
+    directory = os.path.dirname(f.name)
+    # Get the module name and strip ".py" from the end.
+    module_name = os.path.basename(f.name)[:-3]
+    sys.path.append(directory)
+    module = __import__(module_name)
+
+    # Define an actor that closes over this temporary module. This should fail
+    # when it is unpickled.
+    @ray.actor
+    class Foo(object):
+      def __init__(self):
+        self.x = module.temporary_python_file()
+      def get_val(self):
+        return 1
+
+    # There should be no errors yet.
+    self.assertEqual(len(ray.error_info()), 0)
+
+    # Create an actor.
+    foo = Foo()
+
+    # Wait for the error to arrive.
+    wait_for_errors(b"register_actor", 1)
+    self.assertIn(b"No module named", ray.error_info()[0][b"message"])
+
+    # Wait for the error from when the __init__ tries to run.
+    wait_for_errors(b"task", 1)
+    self.assertIn(b"failed to be imported, and so cannot execute this method", ray.error_info()[1][b"message"])
+
+    # Check that if we try to get the function it throws an exception and does
+    # not hang.
+    with self.assertRaises(Exception):
+      ray.get(foo.get_val())
+
+    # Wait for the error from when the call to get_val.
+    wait_for_errors(b"task", 2)
+    self.assertIn(b"failed to be imported, and so cannot execute this method", ray.error_info()[2][b"message"])
+
+    f.close()
+
+    # Clean up the junk we added to sys.path.
+    sys.path.pop(-1)
+    ray.worker.cleanup()
+
 class ActorTest(unittest.TestCase):
 
   def testFailedActorInit(self):