Sokolova had her movie debut in 1948, as the simple village woman Varvara in The Story of a Real Man.

Some of the films she acted in included Quiet Flows the Don, Splendid Days, The story of Asya Klyachina, Far from Moscow, Shine, Shine, My Star, Crime and Punishment, Walking the Streets of Moscow, Thirty Three, The Irony of Fate, Moscow, My Love, White Bim Black Ear, Live Till Monday, Belorussian Station, Do Not Shoot at White Swans, Gentlemen of Fortune, From Dawn Till Sunset, Crash – Cop's Daughter.

In Autumn 1994, Sokolova and Maya Bulgakova were victims of an accident as their car crashed into a pole.

The actress was in intensive care and discharged after a few weeks, but Bulgakova died a few days later, without ever regaining consciousness.

Sokolova died on 6 June 2001 of a heart attack and was buried in Moscow, at the Kuntsevo Cemetery, near the grave of her son.