@@ -27,15 +27,17 @@ def _init_externals():
 from git.config import GitConfigParser
 from git.objects import *
 from git.refs import *
-from git.actor import Actor
 from git.diff import *
 from git.errors import InvalidGitRepositoryError, NoSuchPathError, GitCommandError
 from git.cmd import Git
 from git.repo import Repo
-from git.stats import Stats
 from git.remote import *
 from git.index import *
-from git.utils import LockFile, BlockingLockFile
+from git.utils import (
+						LockFile, 
+						BlockingLockFile, 
+						Stats
+						)
 
 #} END imports
 
 
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 from tree import *
 from commit import *
 from submodule import *
+from utils import Actor
 
 __all__ = [ name for name, obj in locals().items()
             if not (name.startswith('_') or inspect.ismodule(obj)) ]
@@ -4,10 +4,12 @@
 # This module is part of GitPython and is released under
 # the BSD License: http://www.opensource.org/licenses/bsd-license.php
 
-from git.utils import Iterable
+from git.utils import (
+							Iterable,
+							Stats,
+						)
+
 import git.diff as diff
-import git.stats as stats
-from git.actor import Actor
 from tree import Tree
 from gitdb import IStream
 from cStringIO import StringIO
@@ -223,7 +225,7 @@ def stats(self):
 			text = text2
 		else:
 			text = self.repo.git.diff(self.parents[0].sha, self.sha, '--', numstat=True)
-		return stats.Stats._list_from_string(self.repo, text)
+		return Stats._list_from_string(self.repo, text)
 
 	@classmethod
 	def _iter_from_process_or_stream(cls, repo, proc_or_stream):
@@ -332,8 +334,8 @@ def create_from_tree(cls, repo, tree, message, parent_commits=None, head=False):
 		enc_section, enc_option = cls.conf_encoding.split('.')
 		conf_encoding = cr.get_value(enc_section, enc_option, cls.default_encoding)
 
-		author = Actor(author_name, author_email)
-		committer = Actor(committer_name, committer_email)
+		author = utils.Actor(author_name, author_email)
+		committer = utils.Actor(committer_name, committer_email)
 
 
 		# CREATE NEW COMMIT
 
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@
 """
 import re
 from collections import deque as Deque
-from git.actor import Actor
 import platform
 
 from string import digits
@@ -19,6 +18,8 @@
 			'ProcessStreamAdapter', 'Traversable', 'altz_to_utctz_str', 'utctz_to_altz', 
 			'verify_utctz')
 
+#{ Functions
+
 def get_object_type_by_name(object_type_name):
 	"""
 	Returns
@@ -180,6 +181,60 @@ def parse_actor_and_date(line):
 	actor, epoch, offset = m.groups()
 	return (Actor._from_string(actor), int(epoch), utctz_to_altz(offset))
 
+
+#} END functions
+
+
+#{ Classes 
+
+class Actor(object):
+    """Actors hold information about a person acting on the repository. They 
+    can be committers and authors or anything with a name and an email as 
+    mentioned in the git log entries."""
+    # precompiled regex
+    name_only_regex = re.compile( r'<(.+)>' )
+    name_email_regex = re.compile( r'(.*) <(.+?)>' ) 
+    
+    def __init__(self, name, email):
+        self.name = name
+        self.email = email
+
+    def __eq__(self, other):
+        return self.name == other.name and self.email == other.email
+        
+    def __ne__(self, other):
+        return not (self == other)
+        
+    def __hash__(self):
+        return hash((self.name, self.email))
+
+    def __str__(self):
+        return self.name
+
+    def __repr__(self):
+        return '<git.Actor "%s <%s>">' % (self.name, self.email)
+
+    @classmethod
+    def _from_string(cls, string):
+        """Create an Actor from a string.
+		:param string: is the string, which is expected to be in regular git format
+
+				John Doe <jdoe@example.com>
+				
+		:return: Actor """
+        m = cls.name_email_regex.search(string)
+        if m:
+            name, email = m.groups()
+            return Actor(name, email)
+        else:
+            m = cls.name_only_regex.search(string)
+            if m:
+                return Actor(m.group(1), None)
+            else:
+                # assume best and use the whole string as name
+                return Actor(string, None)
+            # END special case name
+        # END handle name/email matching
 
 
 class ProcessStreamAdapter(object):
 
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 
 from errors import InvalidGitRepositoryError, NoSuchPathError
 from cmd import Git
-from actor import Actor
+from objects import Actor
 from refs import *
 from index import IndexFile
 from objects import *