diff --git a/lib/jasmine-core/jasmine.js b/lib/jasmine-core/jasmine.js
index d30bef49..e88c3655 100644
--- a/lib/jasmine-core/jasmine.js
+++ b/lib/jasmine-core/jasmine.js
@@ -1129,9 +1129,13 @@ getJasmineRequireObj().DelayedFunctionScheduler = function() {
 getJasmineRequireObj().ExceptionFormatter = function() {
   function ExceptionFormatter() {
     this.message = function(error) {
-      var message = error.name +
-        ': ' +
-        error.message;
+      var message = '';
+
+      if (error.name && error.message) {
+        message += error.name + ': ' + error.message;
+      } else {
+        message += error.toString() + ' thrown';
+      }
 
       if (error.fileName || error.sourceURL) {
         message += " in " + (error.fileName || error.sourceURL);
diff --git a/spec/core/ExceptionFormatterSpec.js b/spec/core/ExceptionFormatterSpec.js
index 88d83938..5c4ead71 100644
--- a/spec/core/ExceptionFormatterSpec.js
+++ b/spec/core/ExceptionFormatterSpec.js
@@ -35,7 +35,14 @@ describe("ExceptionFormatter", function() {
         message = exceptionFormatter.message(sampleV8);
 
       expect(message).toEqual('A Classic Mistake: you got your foo in my bar');
+    });
 
+    it("formats thrown exceptions that aren't errors", function() {
+      var thrown = "crazy error",
+          exceptionFormatter = new j$.ExceptionFormatter(),
+          message = exceptionFormatter.message(thrown);
+
+      expect(message).toEqual("crazy error thrown");
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/src/core/ExceptionFormatter.js b/src/core/ExceptionFormatter.js
index 29e17d46..1af2f75f 100644
--- a/src/core/ExceptionFormatter.js
+++ b/src/core/ExceptionFormatter.js
@@ -1,9 +1,13 @@
 getJasmineRequireObj().ExceptionFormatter = function() {
   function ExceptionFormatter() {
     this.message = function(error) {
-      var message = error.name +
-        ': ' +
-        error.message;
+      var message = '';
+
+      if (error.name && error.message) {
+        message += error.name + ': ' + error.message;
+      } else {
+        message += error.toString() + ' thrown';
+      }
 
       if (error.fileName || error.sourceURL) {
         message += " in " + (error.fileName || error.sourceURL);