diff --git a/actionview/lib/action_view/helpers/text_helper.rb b/actionview/lib/action_view/helpers/text_helper.rb
index 7cfbca5b6f..2109b2724c 100644
--- a/actionview/lib/action_view/helpers/text_helper.rb
+++ b/actionview/lib/action_view/helpers/text_helper.rb
@@ -155,9 +155,13 @@ module ActionView
       def excerpt(text, phrase, options = {})
         return unless text && phrase
 
-        separator = options[:separator] || ''
-        phrase    = Regexp.escape(phrase)
-        regex     = /#{phrase}/i
+        separator = options.fetch(:separator, nil) || ""
+        if Regexp === phrase
+          regex = phrase
+        else
+          phrase    = Regexp.escape(phrase)
+          regex     = /#{phrase}/i
+        end
 
         return unless matches = text.match(regex)
         phrase = matches[0]
diff --git a/actionview/test/template/text_helper_test.rb b/actionview/test/template/text_helper_test.rb
index a514bba83d..b3bcf4d67b 100644
--- a/actionview/test/template/text_helper_test.rb
+++ b/actionview/test/template/text_helper_test.rb
@@ -264,6 +264,8 @@ class TextHelperTest < ActionView::TestCase
     assert_equal("...is a beautiful morn...", excerpt("This is a beautiful morning", "beautiful", :radius => 5))
     assert_equal("This is a...", excerpt("This is a beautiful morning", "this", :radius => 5))
     assert_equal("...iful morning", excerpt("This is a beautiful morning", "morning", :radius => 5))
+    assert_equal("...udge Allen and...", excerpt("This day was challenging for judge Allen and his colleagues.", /\ballen\b/i, :radius => 5))
+    assert_equal("...judge Allen and...", excerpt("This day was challenging for judge Allen and his colleagues.", /\ballen\b/i, :radius => 1, :separator => ' '))
     assert_nil excerpt("This is a beautiful morning", "day")
   end