Five movie legends who made Oscars history

Katharine Hepburn is the Oscars' most decorated actress with four awards. (© INTERCONTINENTALE / AFP)

Before finding out which actors and actresses win big at the 90th Academy Awards, Sunday, March 4, here's a look at five movie legends who have made Oscars history.

Katharine Hepburn

With four Oscar wins and 12 nominations, Katharine Hepburn has held the record for most acting Oscars for more than 35 years. After a fist win age 27 for "Morning Glory," Katharine Hepburn went on to win Best Actress two years running, in 1968 for "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" and in 1969 for "The Lion in Winter." She won her fourth title in 1982, age 75, for "On Golden Pond." However, the actress never received these awards in person at an Oscars ceremony.

Daniel Day-Lewis

Could the British actor equal Katharine Hepburn's record at the 90th Academy Awards? Nominated for his performance in Paul Thomas Anderson's "Phantom Thread," the actor has three previous Oscar wins to his name: in 1990 for "My Left Foot," in 2008 for "There Will be Blood" and in 2013 for "Lincoln." This year, he goes up against hot favorite Gary Oldman ("Darkest Hour"), plus Denzel Washington ("Roman J. Israel, Esq."), Timothée Chalamet ("Call Me by Your Name") and Daniel Kaluuya ("Get Out").

Meryl Streep

Over the course of her 40-year career, the "Out of Africa" star has bagged 21 Oscars nominations, making her the most nominated actor in Oscars history. This year, Meryl Streep gets her latest nomination for her performance in Steven Spielberg's "The Post." The actress has won on three previous occasions: in 1980 for her supporting role in "Kramer vs. Kramer," in 1983 for "Sophie's Choice" and in 2012 for her role as Margaret Thatcher in the biopic "The Iron Lady."

Jack Nicholson

The "Shining" star has been nominated 12 times over four consecutive decades. Between 1970 and 2003, the actor won three Oscars: in 1976 for his legendary role in "One Flew Ove the Cuckoo's Nest," in 1984 for his supporting role in "Terms of Endearment" and in 1998 for "As Good as It Gets." The 80-year-old actor could soon come out of retirement for the American remake of German movie "Toni Erdmann" and -- who knows -- may yet return to the Oscars red carpet.

Ingrid Bergman

The Swedish actress remains world famous for her role in "Casablanca," but it's George Cukor's "Gaslight" that sealed her first victory at the Oscars in 1945. Two other wins followed before her death in 1982: in 1957 for Anatole Litvak's "Anastasia," and in 1975 for her supporting role in Sidney Lumet's "Murder on the Orient Express." All in all, Ingrid Bergman totals seven Oscar nominations.