Marla Lynne Sokoloff (born December 19, 1980) is an American actress. She is known for playing Lucy Hatcher on the legal drama television series ''

The Practice ''The Practice'' is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy in ...

'', and Gia Mahan on ''

Full House ''Full House'' is an American television Situation comedy, sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The show is about widowed father Danny Tanner who enlists his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis and childhood best ...

'' and '' Fuller House''. She has also appeared in films ''

True Crime True crime is a nonfiction literary, podcast, and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people associated with and affected by criminal events. The crimes most commonly include murder; about 40 pe ...

'' (1996), ''

Dude, Where's My Car? ''Dude, Where's My Car?'' is a 2000 American stoner comedy film directed by Danny Leiner. The film stars Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott as two best friends who find themselves unable to remember where they parked their vehicle after a nigh ...

'' (2000), '' Sugar & Spice'' (2001) and '' Love on the Side'' (2004).

Early life

Sokoloff was born in San Francisco, to Cindi ( née Sussman) and Howard Sokoloff, a former caterer and podiatrist. Her family is

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

and originates from Russia and Germany. She graduated from the

Los Angeles County High School for the Arts Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA, ) is a visual and performing arts high school located on the campus of California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) in Los Angeles, California, United States. History The school was ...

, where she studied music and theatre.

Career

In 1993, Sokoloff (then aged 12) began pursuing an acting career when she was cast as Gia Mahan in the ABC

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

''. She was originally to play Topanga Lawrence in ABC's ''

Boy Meets World ''Boy Meets World'' is an American coming-of-age sitcom created by Michael Jacobs and April Kelly that aired on ABC for seven seasons between September1993 and May2000. The series centers on Cory Matthews (Ben Savage) and his friends and fami ...

'' and had even filmed a few scenes. However, the part was subsequently given to

Danielle Fishel Danielle Christine Fishel (born May 5, 1981) is an American actress, director, model, and television personality. She began her career in theater, appearing in community productions of ''The Wizard of Oz'' and ''Peter Pan''. She made her debut ...

. In 1998, Sokoloff landed the role of receptionist Lucy Hatcher in the legal television drama series ''

''. Along with other popular appearances, she is well-remembered as Joey's pregnant sister, Dina, in season 8 of '' Friends''. She also had a three-episode stint as nanny Claire in the comedy-drama series '' Desperate Housewives''. In 2000, she played Maggie Carter in the teen romance film '' Whatever It Takes''. In November 2006, she starred in the ABC television series ''

Big Day ''Big Day'', originally titled ''A Day in the Life'', is an American television sitcom that first aired on ABC from November 28, 2006, to January 30, 2007. The series was co-produced by Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa and directed by Michael Spil ...

'', which ended on January 30, 2007. She also made a guest appearance in an episode of '' Burn Notice'', where she played Melanie, working undercover as a receptionist at a Miami art gallery whose owner had murdered her character's father. Sokoloff also has starred in several movies, including '' Whatever It Takes'', '' The Climb'', '' The Tollbooth'', ''

'', '' Sugar & Spice'' and '' Love on the Side''. In 2008, Sokoloff starred alongside Paul Campbell,

Andy Griffith Andy Samuel Griffith (June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012) was an American actor, comedian, television producer, southern gospel singer and writer whose career spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his Southern drawl, his character ...

Doris Roberts Doris May Roberts ( Green; November 4, 1925 – April 17, 2016) was an American actress whose career spanned seven decades of television and film. She received five Emmy Awards and a Screen Actors Guild award during her acting career, which bega ...

and Liz Sheridan in the romantic comedy '' Play the Game''. She also voices the Glatorian Kiina in '' Bionicle: The Legend Reborn''. She played Imogene O'Neill in the mini series ''Meteor''. In 2012, she starred in the television film ''A Christmas Wedding Date''. She reprised her role as Gia on ''Full House''s sequel series '' Fuller House'', making 11 appearances starting with the second season episode "Girl Talk".

Personal life

Sokoloff dated actor

James Franco James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. For his role in '' 127 Hours'' (2010), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Franco is known for his roles in films, such as Sam Raimi's ''Spider-M ...

for five years after they met on the set of ''Whatever It Takes'' in 1999. In 2004, she began dating

Deadsy Deadsy is an American industrial rock band from Los Angeles. The band is known for its visual appearance and unique musical style the band self-describes as "undercore". The band has released two major studio albums. The band was initially si ...

drummer

Alec Puro Alec Puro (born April 25, 1975), also known as Alec Püre, is an American drummer, songwriter and composer. As well as being the drummer for Deadsy, Puro has composed music for numerous television shows and films. Career Puro is best known for ...

. They married on November 7, 2009, and have three daughters, born February 2012 March 2015 and February 2022.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sokoloff, Marla 1980 births 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from San Francisco American child actresses American film actresses American television actresses American voice actresses American people of Russian-Jewish descent American people of German-Jewish descent Jewish American actresses Living people Los Angeles County High School for the Arts alumni 21st-century American Jews