[3][4][5] Wallem was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois[4], and worked as a stage actor and After Dark Award-winning cabaret singer in Chicago[4] before moving to New York to make his television debut on Nurse Jackie.

[4] He accrued nearly 2,500 performances as both 'Jinx' and 'Sparky' in various companies of Forever Plaid, including Chicago, Las Vegas, Denver and the first national tour.

For the Ravinia Festival, he appeared with Tony-winners Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, Michael Cerveris and George Hearn in A Little Night Music, Passion, Sunday in the Park with George and Doll with David Hyde Pierce (all directed by Lonny Price).

Wallem also originated the role of 'Arvid' in the Broadway workshop of Kristina från Duvemåla, written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA.

[7][9] The show received numerous critical accolades, with one reviewer stating There was a well thought out balance between serious ballads and more humorous pieces, the obvious forte of Wallem, who delighted the crowd with two parodies, one a spoof of "wordy lyrics," another a takeoff on Wicked's "Defying Gravity," changed to "Defying Parody".