Marla is a celebrated American model and actress who rose to prominence for her role of Lucy in “The Practice” legal drama TV series.
Age, Early Life, and Education Background
Born Marlie Lynne Sokoloff under the Sagittarius zodiac sign on 19 December 1980, in San Francisco, California, the American actress is 41 years old as of 2021. She was born to Cindi ‘nee Sussman’ Sokoloff, a podiatrist, and her husband Howard Sokoloff who worked as a caterer. She was raised in her hometown alongside Jared, and is of Jewish, German and Russian roots.
Marla’s interest in music developed at a young age. In 1994, she moved to Los Angeles for her studies, and attended Los Angeles County Arts High School, which offers theatre and music classes and is situated in California. Marla also grew up with a huge interest in acting, and once revealed that ‘An agent spotted me at one of the plays I did at ACT, but my mom was like, No, she is too young … I became so annoying that a year and a half later she just could not stand hearing me anymore…’ She matriculated from high school in 1998, and started pursuing professional acting without joining college.
Interesting Facts and Hobbies
As an avid music lover, Marla enjoys writing music as well as collecting musical instruments such as guitars.
She likes films such as “Dracula 2000,” “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,” and “A Walk To Remember”, and her favorite entertainers are Laureen German and Mandy Moore.
Sokoloff is an animal lover who had a pet dog, Coco, a few years ago, which sadly passed away recently at the age of 16.
She has lost several close family members and friends (including her grandmother) to cancer, and according to sources, her mother Cindi has cancer too.
Professional Career
1990-2000
Sokoloff made her career debut aged 12 in 1993 in “Boy Meets Girl”, then in eight episodes of “Full House,” portraying Gia Mahan. She made several other appearances as a teenager, including in the TV series’ “7th Heaven,” “The Fosters,” and “Third Rock From the Sun,” before making her film debut in the movie “The Baby-Sitters Club” (1995). She was seen next in 11 episodes of “Over the Top” series in 1997, in which she portrayed Gwen Martin. In the same year, she appeared in “The Date” short film before she landed her breakthrough role as Lucy Hatcher, a sassy receptionist, in “The Practice” legal drama – she assumed her recurring role until 2004.
2001-2010
Concurrently, Marla landed a minor role in “Strange Frequencies” in 2001, and appeared in several hit films between 2000-2004, including “Whatever It Takes,” in which she portrayed Maggie (2000), “Dude, Where Is My Car?” as Wilma, “Sugar and Spice” (2001) as Lisa, “The Tollbooth” and “Love on the Side” of 2004, and was also cast as a guest in “Night Vision” during the same year. Sokoloff landed another big role in the “Big Day” series by ABC (2006-2007) – however, the show was cancelled after airing for a year. She subsequently featured in several other TV series, such as “2006’s “Modern Men” sitcom, “Meteor”, “Maneater” and “Drop Dead Diva” all in 2009. Before the end of the decade, she was also seen in films, such as 2009’s “Flower Girl,” “Play the Game”, “BIONICLE,” and “Gift of the Magi” all during 2010.
2011-2020
2011 saw Marla cast to appear in “CSI:NY,” in which had the guest starring role of Abigail. She was later cast in “Melissa & Joey” as Dr. Chelsea, before appearing in 2014’s “The Fosters” as Dani. In the following year, she was seen in two episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy” and in “Hot in Cleveland.” In 2016, Marla appeared in “Fuller House,” a Netflix Original, in which she landed a recurring role until 2018.
Marla recently appeared in several films, including the “Summer in the City” romantic comedy released in 2016, “A Happening of Monumental Proportions” comedy in 2017, and “The Road Home for Christmas,” and “Preschool in L.A.” short film in 2019.
Sokoloff has been seen in several talk shows, including “Andrea Barber Vlog,” “Entertainment Tonight,” and “Chic Mama Carpool.” She is also credited with the writing and production of films such as “Preschool in L.A.” and romantic drama “Christmas Hotel.” In 2020, Marla directed the short drama film “Home, But Not Alone.”
Award Nominations
Marla boasts of three award nominations in 1999, 2000, and the year that followed – her role in “The Practice” saw her nominated for the Screen Actors/Actresses Award in the category of Outstanding Ensemble Performance in a TV Drama series.
Personal Life
Sokoloff dated James Franco, whom she met during the shooting of “Whatever It Takes” in 1999, and they moved in together shortly afterward.
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However, they broke up after dating for five years amid rumors that her ex-boyfriend had recorded a sex tape with her, and frequently threatened to post it online; fortunately that didn’t happen.
The Californian actress started dating Alec Puro shortly after she broke up with James in 2004. Puro is an American musician, and is credited for being the Deadsy industrial rock band’s drummer. They wed on 7 November 2009, their private wedding ceremony attended only by family members and close friends. The couple was blessed with their first child, Elliotte Ann, on 8 February 2012.
They welcomed their second daughter named Olive M. Puro three years later – she arrived around five weeks early, on 13 March 2015 in Los Angeles, California.
Height, Weight, and Vital Statistics
With an hourglass figure, Sokoloff weighs approximately 110lbs (50kgs) and is 5ft 1in (1.59m) tall, with vital statistics of 35B-25-35; she wears dress size 8 (US) shoe size 10. She has blue eyes and long dark brown hair.
Net Worth
The famed actress has featured in various Box Office hit movies, and TV series, which has earned her considerable fame, through which she’s amassed her net worth which sources estimate as of 2021 at over $500,000.
