William "Bill" Shirk Poorman (born 1945) is a retired American escape artist, actor, entrepreneur, and longtime Indianapolis radio personality. He uses his middle name (also his mother's maiden name), Shirk, as his professional surname. Poorman was born and raised in Muncie, Indiana. He graduated from Ball State University in 1967 with a Bachelor's degree in Education before embarking on a four-decade career in radio broadcasting. Poorman owned, managed, and served as on-air talent for 10 radio stations and a television station in Central Indiana throughout his career. Poorman is often credited as the first disc jockey to bring hip-hop and rap music to Indianapolis radio stations in the early 1990's.

Poorman initially began performing stunts in the mid-1970's order to promote his media properties and create local interest. He is frequently billed as the "Modern Day Houdini" for his elaborate and death-defying stunts. Some of his notable escapes include being buried alive for three days and escaping from a straitjacket while suspended upside-down from a helicopter. He often performed stunts that included live animals, including pythons, rattlesnakes, rats, and piranhas.

Between 1976 and 1980, Poorman set eight world records, including the fastest escape from a straitjacket and the fastest jail break. His work as an escape artist inspired him to write, produce, and star as a fictionalized version of himself in the 1983 film "The Escapist". This film is notable for being one of the first motion picture features to be produced and shot entirely in the state of Indiana. The film premiered at Eastwood Theater in Indianapolis on April 14, 1983. Poorman continued his career as an escape artist throughout the 1980's and 1990's to benefit charitable causes in the Indianapolis area.

In 2015, Poorman retired from his role as an on-air personality and remains owner and CEO of Hoosier Broadcasting Corporation, a company he founded in 1998. He was inducted into the Indiana Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame in 2016.