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"I was in seventh grade, and getting a part in Full House was huge. It opened so many doors for me." Marla Sokoloff got started at a young age, like a number of actors and actresses do, with a role on a TV show that was already wildly popular. Most seventh graders are worried about things like clothes and friends, but Sokoloff had much bigger things to focus on. Since that time, Sokoloff has also had roles on shows like Desperate Housewives and The Practice. She was also in several films in the 1990s and 2000s. But how did she land such an important role at 12 years old, and where is she going next, now that she's an established actress in her own right? Read on to find out more about Sokoloff and all she has to offer to her fans.

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Growing Up With Music and Theater

Sokoloff was born in San Francisco. Her father was a podiatrist, and her mother was a caterer. The family was Jewish, and Sokoloff took music and theater classes at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. She graduated from there, and went on to act in movies and TV shows. But she didn't have to get through high school before she started on her acting journey. When she was just 12 years old, in 1993, she got the part of Gia Mahan on the show Full House. She was also supposed to play in Boy Meets World, but that part was recast to someone else. Full House ran for several seasons, and Sokoloff became a household name for people in her age group and their families.

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She also acted in other things throughout middle school and high school, because she studied theater and music in school. She was in a number of school productions, and was also a good singer. But the main thing Sokoloff is known for is her Full House character. That show was so iconic that most of the people in it became and remained household names for some time. When her role on the show ended, though, she was cast as Lucy Hatcher, a receptionist on The Practice (1998). She then took roles in other TV shows, including Friends and Desperate Housewives. As Sokoloff started taking other roles, she began to focus on more mature options and also get involved in movie roles, as well.

Life After Her Full House Days

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In addition to the TV roles she took after Full House, Sokoloff also started to film movies such as Whatever It Takes (2000), Dude, Where's My Car? (2000), and Love On the Side (2004), among others. Her days were generally filled with movie and TV roles, and it was during one of those that she met and worked with James Franco. The two began dating, and spent five years together. After their breakup, she met Deadsy drummer Alec Puro and started dating him. The couple married five years later, in 2009. They have since had two daughter together. One was born in 2012, and the other in 2015. She has made guest appearances on several shows and been in made-for-TV movies and feature films.

For her singing efforts, Sokoloff has said, "At the time, the only options were playing the local county fair. Now with American Idol and younger recording artists that have come out, there is more of an opportunity." Now there are many more options for Sokoloff to get involved with singing, but she's also focused on raising her children and spending time on the causes that matter to her. There will likely be many more movies in Sokoloff's future, along with TV roles and other entertainment pursuits. While she has been active in movies since the birth of her daughters, she has scaled back her time making films in order to spend more time with them. As they grow, Sokoloff will likely be back to work on a more full-time basis.

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In the meantime, fans can enjoy many of the films she has already been a part of, such as Sugar & Spice, Prairie Dogs, The Tollbooth, Play the Game, Gifts for Christmas, Scents and Sensibility, and others. Her recent television appearances include guest spots on The Fosters, Grey's Anatomy, Hot in Cleveland, Fuller House, and Hollywood Darlings. Undoubtedly, there are other roles waiting for Sokoloff, as she has a great deal of talent to offer to fans and future fans, as well. As her children grow up, she will have more time to get involved in acting again, and to get her children into the entertainment industry if it's something they want to do. Fans of Sokoloff may want to wait patiently, as she'll have plenty to show them in the future.