diff --git a/sdk-actors/src/main/java/io/dapr/actors/runtime/DaprHttpClient.java b/sdk-actors/src/main/java/io/dapr/actors/runtime/DaprHttpClient.java
index b5a3c5571..51f8f507e 100644
--- a/sdk-actors/src/main/java/io/dapr/actors/runtime/DaprHttpClient.java
+++ b/sdk-actors/src/main/java/io/dapr/actors/runtime/DaprHttpClient.java
@@ -37,7 +37,13 @@ class DaprHttpClient implements DaprClient {
   public Mono<byte[]> getActorState(String actorType, String actorId, String keyName) {
     String url = String.format(Constants.ACTOR_STATE_KEY_RELATIVE_URL_FORMAT, actorType, actorId, keyName);
     Mono<DaprHttp.Response> responseMono = this.client.invokeApi(DaprHttp.HttpMethods.GET.name(), url, null, "", null);
-    return responseMono.map(r -> r.getBody());
+    return responseMono.map(r -> {
+      if ((r.getStatusCode() != 200) && (r.getStatusCode() != 204)) {
+        throw new IllegalStateException(
+            String.format("Error getting actor state: %s/%s/%s", actorType, actorId, keyName));
+      }
+      return r.getBody();
+    });
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/sdk-actors/src/main/java/io/dapr/actors/runtime/DaprStateAsyncProvider.java b/sdk-actors/src/main/java/io/dapr/actors/runtime/DaprStateAsyncProvider.java
index 36fb0bf4f..86f3c1e5e 100644
--- a/sdk-actors/src/main/java/io/dapr/actors/runtime/DaprStateAsyncProvider.java
+++ b/sdk-actors/src/main/java/io/dapr/actors/runtime/DaprStateAsyncProvider.java
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ class DaprStateAsyncProvider {
 
   Mono<Boolean> contains(String actorType, ActorId actorId, String stateName) {
     Mono<byte[]> result = this.daprClient.getActorState(actorType, actorId.toString(), stateName);
-    return result.map(s -> true).defaultIfEmpty(false);
+    return result.map(s -> s.length > 0).defaultIfEmpty(false);
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/sdk-tests/src/test/java/io/dapr/it/actors/ActorStateIT.java b/sdk-tests/src/test/java/io/dapr/it/actors/ActorStateIT.java
index c2fb89f7e..4418e5e29 100644
--- a/sdk-tests/src/test/java/io/dapr/it/actors/ActorStateIT.java
+++ b/sdk-tests/src/test/java/io/dapr/it/actors/ActorStateIT.java
@@ -38,12 +38,20 @@ public class ActorStateIT extends BaseIT {
       60000);
 
     String message = "This is a message to be saved and retrieved.";
+    String name = "Jon Doe";
     ActorId actorId = new ActorId(Long.toString(System.currentTimeMillis()));
     String actorType = "StatefulActorTest";
     logger.debug("Building proxy ...");
     ActorProxyBuilder<ActorProxy> proxyBuilder = new ActorProxyBuilder(actorType, ActorProxy.class);
     ActorProxy proxy = proxyBuilder.build(actorId);
 
+    // Validate conditional read works.
+    callWithRetry(() -> {
+      logger.debug("Invoking readMessage where data is not present yet ... ");
+      String result = proxy.invokeActorMethod("readMessage", String.class).block();
+      assertNull(result);
+    }, 5000);
+
     callWithRetry(() -> {
       logger.debug("Invoking writeMessage ... ");
       proxy.invokeActorMethod("writeMessage", message).block();
@@ -69,6 +77,28 @@ public class ActorStateIT extends BaseIT {
       assertEquals(mydata.value, result.value);
     }, 5000);
 
+    callWithRetry(() -> {
+      logger.debug("Invoking writeName ... ");
+      proxy.invokeActorMethod("writeName", name).block();
+    }, 5000);
+
+    callWithRetry(() -> {
+      logger.debug("Invoking readName where data is probably still cached ... ");
+      String result = proxy.invokeActorMethod("readName", String.class).block();
+      assertEquals(name, result);
+    }, 5000);
+
+    callWithRetry(() -> {
+      logger.debug("Invoking writeName with empty content... ");
+      proxy.invokeActorMethod("writeName", "").block();
+    }, 5000);
+
+    callWithRetry(() -> {
+      logger.debug("Invoking readName where empty content is probably still cached ... ");
+      String result = proxy.invokeActorMethod("readName", String.class).block();
+      assertEquals("", result);
+    }, 5000);
+
     logger.debug("Waiting, so actor can be deactivated ...");
     Thread.sleep(10000);
 
@@ -97,5 +127,11 @@ public class ActorStateIT extends BaseIT {
       assertEquals(mydata.value, result.value);
     }, 5000);
     logger.debug("Finished testing actor string state.");
+
+    callWithRetry(() -> {
+      logger.debug("Invoking readName where empty content is not cached ... ");
+      String result = newProxy.invokeActorMethod("readName", String.class).block();
+      assertEquals("", result);
+    }, 5000);
   }
 }
diff --git a/sdk-tests/src/test/java/io/dapr/it/actors/services/springboot/StatefulActor.java b/sdk-tests/src/test/java/io/dapr/it/actors/services/springboot/StatefulActor.java
index 13b8fb7c1..5cb92a251 100644
--- a/sdk-tests/src/test/java/io/dapr/it/actors/services/springboot/StatefulActor.java
+++ b/sdk-tests/src/test/java/io/dapr/it/actors/services/springboot/StatefulActor.java
@@ -11,6 +11,10 @@ public interface StatefulActor {
 
   String readMessage();
 
+  void writeName(String something);
+
+  String readName();
+
   void writeData(MyData something);
 
   MyData readData();
diff --git a/sdk-tests/src/test/java/io/dapr/it/actors/services/springboot/StatefulActorImpl.java b/sdk-tests/src/test/java/io/dapr/it/actors/services/springboot/StatefulActorImpl.java
index 195438cfc..94d31d05a 100644
--- a/sdk-tests/src/test/java/io/dapr/it/actors/services/springboot/StatefulActorImpl.java
+++ b/sdk-tests/src/test/java/io/dapr/it/actors/services/springboot/StatefulActorImpl.java
@@ -31,6 +31,20 @@ public class StatefulActorImpl extends AbstractActor implements StatefulActor {
     return null;
   }
 
+  @Override
+  public void writeName(String something) {
+    super.getActorStateManager().set("name", something).block();
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public String readName() {
+    if (super.getActorStateManager().contains("name").block()) {
+      return super.getActorStateManager().get("name", String.class).block();
+    }
+
+    return null;
+  }
+
   @Override
   public void writeData(MyData something) {
     super.getActorStateManager().set("mydata", something).block();