Ogoranu was born in a Greek-Catholic Romanian family as one of three children, in Gura Văii, Făgăraș County, in the Țara Făgărașului region of southeastern Transylvania. He studied at Radu Negru High School in Făgăraș, where he was from 1936 to 1940 a member of the "Negoiu" (The Brotherhood of the Cross), the youth wing of the Iron Guard. In 1940 he became the leader of the Frăția de Cruce organization in Făgăraș. In 1941 he was arrested by the Ion Antonescu regime for his participation in the Legionnaires' rebellion and was condemned to 10 years forced labor. Released on April 19, 1944, he enrolled in the military school in Câmpulung.