Stephen Wallem is a SAG Award-nominated actor best known as Thor Lundgren on the Emmy-winning Showtime series “Nurse Jackie”. He also recurred as Winston on “The Resident” (Fox) and Rudy on “Law and Order: SVU” (NBC). Other TV credits include “Difficult People,” “Divorce,” “Horace and Pete” and the upcoming “Before” with Billy Crystal (Apple TV+). Stephen made his feature film debut in the hit romantic comedy Marry Me starring Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson. NYC stage credits include Pipe Dream (Encores!) Anna Nicole (New York City Opera/BAM), and teaming with Edie Falco for the original cabaret The Other Steve and Edie at the Laurie Beechman Theater. For The Muny in St. Louis, Stephen appeared as Shrek (Shrek the Musical), Horton the Elephant (Seussical), the Cowardly Lion (The Wizard of Oz), and Beadle Bamford (Sweeney Todd). For Farmers Alley Theatre, he starred as Max Bialystock in The Producers and as Buddy the Elf in Elf for Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts. National tours include Forever Plaid (2500 performances as both Jinx and Sparky in various companies), Into The Woods and Scrooge with Richard Chamberlain. Stephen was a regular at the Ravinia Festival Sondheim productions, appearing with Patti LuPone, George Hearn, Michael Cerveris and Audra McDonald in A Little Night Music, Passion and Sunday in the Park with George. He is an award-winning cabaret singer in both New York and Chicago, with solo shows at Birdland, Don’t Tell Mama, Gentry and Davenport’s as well as the We’re Funny That Way festival in Toronto. He is a two-time winner of the After Dark Award for Outstanding Cabaret Artist and Chicago Cabaret Professionals’ National Honoree for 2014.
Stephen acted as teaching guest artist for Western Michigan University’s musical theater seniors in a week-long coaching intensive and final performance. He’s also conducted musical theater, audition and vocal master classes for WMU, Rhode Island College, University of Missouri/Kansas City and Rock Valley College. Stephen has also been a respondent for the Irene Ryan Semi-Finals for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. In Chicago, he acted as an adjudicator for the John Hersey Chicagoland Show Choir Showcase. He currently serves on the artistic advisory board of the Illinois Academy of the Arts.