@@ -297,7 +297,10 @@ Access objects and add/remove entries. Commit the changes::
     # Access the entries directly
     index.add(['my_new_file'])      # add a new file to the index
     index.remove(['dir/existing_file'])
-    new_commit = index.commit("my commit message")
+    new_commit = index.commit("my commit message") # commit by commit message first
+    my_author = Actor("An author", "author@example.com")
+    my_committer = Actor("A committer", "committer@example.com")
+    next_commit = index.commit("my commit message", author=my_author, commiter=my_committer) # commit by commit message and author and committer
     
 Create new indices from other trees or as result of a merge. Write that result to a new index file::
 
 
@@ -358,7 +358,7 @@ def create_from_tree(cls, repo, tree, message, parent_commits=None, head=False,
             # as well ...
             import git.refs
             try:
-                repo.head.set_commit(new_commit, logmsg="commit: %s" % message)
+                repo.head.set_commit(new_commit, logmsg=message)
             except ValueError:
                 # head is not yet set to the ref our HEAD points to
                 # Happens on first commit
 
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
     altz_to_utctz_str,
 )
 from git.compat import (
+    PY3,
     xrange,
     string_types,
     defenc
@@ -32,16 +33,30 @@
 class RefLogEntry(tuple):
 
     """Named tuple allowing easy access to the revlog data fields"""
-    _fmt = "%s %s %s <%s> %i %s\t%s\n"
     _re_hexsha_only = re.compile('^[0-9A-Fa-f]{40}$')
     __slots__ = tuple()
 
     def __repr__(self):
         """Representation of ourselves in git reflog format"""
+        res = self.format()
+        if PY3:
+            return res
+        else:
+            # repr must return a string, which it will auto-encode from unicode using the default encoding.
+            # This usually fails, so we encode ourselves
+            return res.encode(defenc)
+
+    def format(self):
+        """:return: a string suitable to be placed in a reflog file"""
         act = self.actor
         time = self.time
-        return self._fmt % (self.oldhexsha, self.newhexsha, act.name, act.email,
-                            time[0], altz_to_utctz_str(time[1]), self.message)
+        return u"{0} {1} {2} <{3}> {4!s} {5}\t{6}\n".format(self.oldhexsha,
+                                                            self.newhexsha,
+                                                            act.name,
+                                                            act.email,
+                                                            time[0],
+                                                            altz_to_utctz_str(time[1]),
+                                                            self.message)
 
     @property
     def oldhexsha(self):
@@ -267,10 +282,9 @@ def append_entry(cls, config_reader, filepath, oldbinsha, newbinsha, message):
 
         lf = LockFile(filepath)
         lf._obtain_lock_or_raise()
-
         fd = open(filepath, 'ab')
         try:
-            fd.write(repr(entry).encode(defenc))
+            fd.write(entry.format().encode(defenc))
         finally:
             fd.close()
             lf._release_lock()
@@ -295,7 +309,7 @@ def _serialize(self, stream):
 
         # write all entries
         for e in self:
-            write(repr(e).encode(defenc))
+            write(e.format().encode(defenc))
         # END for each entry
 
     def _deserialize(self, stream):
 
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+#-*-coding:utf-8-*-
 # test_index.py
 # Copyright (C) 2008, 2009 Michael Trier (mtrier@gmail.com) and contributors
 #
@@ -10,6 +11,7 @@
     fixture,
     with_rw_repo
 )
+from git.util import Actor
 from git import (
     IndexFile,
     BlobFilter,
@@ -432,7 +434,7 @@ def mixed_iterator():
         # TEST COMMITTING
         # commit changed index
         cur_commit = cur_head.commit
-        commit_message = "commit default head"
+        commit_message = u"commit default head by Frèderic Çaufl€"
 
         new_commit = index.commit(commit_message, head=False)
         assert cur_commit != new_commit
@@ -445,6 +447,23 @@ def mixed_iterator():
         assert len(new_commit.parents) == 1
         assert cur_head.commit == cur_commit
 
+        # commit with other actor
+        cur_commit = cur_head.commit
+
+        my_author = Actor(u"Frèderic Çaufl€", "author@example.com")
+        my_committer = Actor(u"Committing Frèderic Çaufl€", "committer@example.com")
+        commit_actor = index.commit(commit_message, author=my_author, committer=my_committer)
+        assert cur_commit != commit_actor
+        assert commit_actor.author.name == u"Frèderic Çaufl€"
+        assert commit_actor.author.email == "author@example.com"
+        assert commit_actor.committer.name == u"Committing Frèderic Çaufl€"
+        assert commit_actor.committer.email == "committer@example.com"
+        assert commit_actor.message == commit_message
+        assert commit_actor.parents[0] == cur_commit
+        assert len(new_commit.parents) == 1
+        assert cur_head.commit == commit_actor
+        assert cur_head.log()[-1].actor == my_committer
+
         # same index, no parents
         commit_message = "index without parents"
         commit_no_parents = index.commit(commit_message, parent_commits=list(), head=True)
 
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ def __str__(self):
         return self.name
 
     def __repr__(self):
-        return '<git.Actor "%s <%s>">' % (self.name, self.email)
+        return u'<git.Actor "%s <%s>">' % (self.name, self.email)
 
     @classmethod
     def _from_string(cls, string):