Because she changed her focus at a still-early age, her acting successes came quickly and grew in quick succession. She set the stage at the beginning of her teens with a long string of highly visible television appearances, earning the role that made her famous - as Lucy Hatcher on "The Practice" (ABC, 1997-2004) - well before her twentieth birthday. After that show's conclusion, Sokoloff continued to demonstrate her range with frequent returns to both the television and the music world.
Marla Lynne Sokoloff was born on Dec. 19, 1980, in San Francisco, CA, the second child of Howard, a doctor and Cindi, a caterer who became Marla's manager. In 1994, the family moved to Los Angeles, where Marla attended Los Angeles County High School of the Arts. She was recognized early for her abilities as a singer - she even performed the national anthem for the Oakland A's for the USO.
Sokoloff debuted in small roles on episodes of "Boy Meets World" (ABC, 1993-2000) and "Step By Step" (ABC/CBS, 1991-98), before landing a lengthy arc on "Full House" (ABC, 1987-1995) as a nemesis to Jodie Sweeten's Stephanie. Her first break came when she was cast at age 12 in the feature "Ingrid" which was not released for some five years. Not long after that, she had another multi-episode guest spot, this time on "Party of Five" (FOX, 1994-2000) as a bad influence on Lacey Chabert's Claudia. Although, like many actors, she did take on occasional single-episode roles, her resume was notable for the sheer quantity and quality of the shows in which she appeared. Virtually every show was among its networks' marquee shows.
Despite her guest success as day player, however, Sokoloff had barely begun her climb. In the fall of 1998, she was cast as Lucy Hatcher on David E. Kelley's "The Practice." She arrived on the show in what was technically the show's third season (it began with a six-episode "season"). As the firm's receptionist - and a sometimes-rape counselor - she replaced the previous receptionist Rebecca, who had gone on to earn a law degree and an associate position at the firm. In her casting, Sokoloff brought a youthful, sarcastic element to her character, not to mention a now-legendary smirk.
During her extended run on "The Practice," Sokoloff also launched her film career - most notably in a supporting role in the stoner comedy "Dude, Where's My Car?" (2000). She also starred with her then real-life boyfriend James Franco in the teen comedy "Whatever It Takes" (2000) and played a bitter cheerleader-turned-hero in 2001's "Sugar & Spice." Although she received varying amounts of screen time in several other films and continued to appear on the big screen after her bread and butter "Practice" run ended, few were particularly successful and none depended on her onscreen charms. Without question, her greater successes in connecting with viewers were on the small screen.
After "The Practice" concluded, Sokoloff appeared in a few episodes of "Desperate Housewives" (ABC, 2004- ), playing a nanny hired by Felicity Houseman's character Lynette Scavo - and ultimately fired by her after it became obvious that her boss's husband was attracted to her. This infatuation on the part of Doug Savant's character Tom Scavo, took off after a quickly infamous semi-topless scene starring Sokoloff.
In 2006, the utility player continued to snag roles - this time as a regular member on a TV series. Unfortunately the series she was cast on was "Modern Men" (WB, 2006), a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced sitcom that almost immediately fell victim to the merger of the WB and UPN networks into The CW. Also in 2006, Sokoloff returned to her roots as a musician. Already a singer and rhythm guitarist for the band Smittin, she released her debut solo album, Grateful in February.