Facts:   - years active: 1981 & ndash ; 1998      - birth date: 8 february 1927    - name: elizabeth hoffman    - birth place: corvallis , oregon   Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of elizabeth hoffman -lrb- actress -rrb- .
elizabeth hoffman -lrb- born february 8 , 1927 -rrb- is an american character actress .hoffman was born in corvallis , oregon .she is best known for her regular role as beatrice reed ventnor , swoosie kurtz ' , sela ward 's , patricia kalember 's and julianne phillips ' characters ' mother , on the nbc drama series `` sisters '' -lrb- 1991-1996 -rrb- .hoffman also guest-starred in a number of television shows and mini-series such as `` little house on the prairie '' , `` war and remembrance '' , `` matlock '' and `` thirtysomething '' , and well as several movies including playing the role of grandma ruth in `` dante 's peak '' .she also played the role of catherine langford in `` stargate sg-1 '' .